


Just A Freud : A Zootopia Fic

by HerrMancyni



Category: Zootopia
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Romance, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 13:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6331603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerrMancyni/pseuds/HerrMancyni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judy Hopps/Carrots, the superego, a bunny, police officer and prey. Finnick/Fin, the id, a fennec, hustler and predator. 2 different animals and lives, both whom holds considerable sway in the life of a certain red fox. This story is about Nicholas Wilde, and how the angel and the demon changes his life.<br/>WARNING : It's going to be a rollercoaster. Also, this is my first fic, beta help is appreciated, PM me if you are interested!<br/>P.S. I wrote this fic initially for fanfiction.net (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11852747/1/Just-a-Freud-A-Zootopia-Fanfic), but I want to get more feedback and reach, so I've uploaded it here too! My author's comments are strictly left on the fanfiction.net site only.<br/>P.P.S AUTHOR'S NOTE :<br/>I would like to extend my limitless gratitude and appreciation to :-<br/>littlemisscherrypie (from FanFiction.net)<br/>for being a great friend and beta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_ Welcome to Zootopia, like nothing you've seen be-fur _

**Nick Wilde.** A fox and hustler since he was 12. Predator.

**Judy Hopps.** A bunny and police officer at heart since she was 9 (and a real one now). Prey.

**Finnick.** A fennec and a partner-in-crime of the Pawpsicles  & Redwood business. Predator.

 

Two opposites, in terms of ideals, perspectives and views.

Revolving around Nick, one inviting him to hustle again and con others, for ol’ times’ sake. 

The other dragging him to do good, to serve and protect. 

Two dynamics akin to an angel and a demon on the shoulders of Nicholas P. Wilde.

 

Nicholas P. Wilde was not the fox that most people saw him to be.

He was insecure, lacked self-esteem. He had depression, and he was a person whose character was formed by the people around him.

 

But, he would never let others see that they got to him. He would talk his way out of everything, like the sly, cunning fox the world saw him to be.

  
_ Except Fin and Judy. _


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Never let them see that they get to you

_“You look handsome, dear.”_   
_Kind words, warmth, love and care._   
_\---_   
_A room - inside a Church._   
_A group of similarly aged children._   
_The lights went off._   
_A flashlight came on with a blinding glare._   
_\---_   
_The Junior Ranger Scouts._   
_A struggle, and then, a muzzle. Jeering, leering and sneering._   
_“How can we let a predator like you join us ?”_   
_Laughing, beating, and hitting._   
_Escaping, running away in fear._   
_Restriction and constriction. His mouth clamped shut. His body bruised and hurting._   
_His new uniform, crumpled and torn._   
_Adrenaline subsiding, fear and tears catching up. His back against the wall, he slides down to the floor and begins to sob. Betrayal and loneliness drowning his world._

Nick awoke from his nightmare, one that he was all too used seeing. Especially when he was at a high point in his days, when he finally felt good about himself, this same nightmare would haunt him and put him back into place. The last time he had this bad dream was when he had just got accepted into the Police Force. After his foray with Judy in nabbing Bellwether, it seems that Judy had pulled some strings and put in a word (maybe a few words too many) to Chief Bogo to accept Nick’s application into the force, as she ‘needed a partner’. It brought him a lot of joy to see her stick up for him.

His face was wet with tears; some streaking down his cheeks, others leaving a trail on his red fur covered face. Wiping them off with his paws, he sat up and was greeted with the sight of his dingy apartment : a single window by his pull-out couch, and his Zoony phone on the coffee table beside his makeshift bed.

Reaching out with his paw, he fumbled to pick up his scratched Zoony smartphone to check the time.

 

“4.00 AM” and “Two new messages” greeted the green eyes of the fox.  
Stricken with lethargy and nothing better to do since he was awake, he decided to read the 2 messages on his phone.

Message #1 :  
Sender : Carrots (The nickname was something he used only in Judy’s presence, but he would always refer to her as Judy to others and himself. In the contact picture box there was a selfie that she took of herself and applied to her contact, all on Nick’s own phone when she thought he wasn’t looking. He hasn’t changed it since, and frankly, he wasn’t planning to.)  
Time : 11 PM, Yesterday  
Message :  
“Hey Nick, wanna catch that re-run of Floatzen? It’s gonna be showing on the tele tmrw. Since we got the day off, how bout I come over & we hang at yours with some dinner & drinks? I got fresh blueberries from the burrow!”

Judy’s message brought a smile to Nick’s face, and it honestly lightened his spirits. She was like a ray of sunshine into his dreary and cloudy life. It helped that he loved Floatzen and Judy’s company.

 

Message #2 :  
Time : 1 AM, Today  
Sender : Fin (his contact picture was just a blank box, for a good reason - especially since the business that Nick and Fin did was the sort that would be against the law at times)  
Message :  
Nicky, wanna do a good ol’ Pawpsicle hustle on Sunday? Weather tomorrow evening gonna be a good time for the hustle. Especially since most people will be out and about. I’m thinking a 60/40 split, with 60 going to me for this brilliant idea. I heard about your rent hitting a new height - again.

 

Frustratingly enough, Nick had to admit that Fin was right. Nick’s landlord hated the idea of having a cop in the neighbourhood, especially one that was a turncoat and a walking risk to become a snitch.  
Fin’s message brought a feeling of nostalgia, and it was a tempting offer to go back to his old ways.   
Worse yet, the paycheck that he was getting from the Police Force was sorely lacking, with Chief Bogo telling him that his salary was getting cut for a long time (years) to pay off his tax evasion and criminal records. It was just above minimal wage, and he struggled to keep a roof above his head and at times he went hungry.

Nick had initially planned to spend the next day at home alone moping to recuperate his spirits, especially after that nightmare. However, he was now spoilt for choice between his two partners and only friends. One was a partner in the force : a companion and one that he loved and cared for with his life. The other was a partner in crime : a comrade and one that stood by him in his hustling schemes for many years - even to the point that he would dress up and act like a kid.


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 - Weighing in_

“ **4.30AM** ”

Nick was startled when his phone’s alarm began ringing.

Greeting the fox’s ear with ‘Oh oh oh oh oooh-’ _Gazelle’s Try Everything_ was going to start playing.

 That song brought back memories of not too long ago. He decided he would let those thoughts play out in his head.

 This was a song that Judy chose for him and although he seemed reluctant, he began to grow fond of the song. _Especially_ since it reminded him of the first concert he participated in _legally_ and with Judy. Albeit _illegally,_ Fin was also there - pickpocketing and swindling a quick dime off the other concert goers.

 Rushing to turn it off, not wanting it to begin the process where the music went progressively louder until it woke his neighbours and that dreadful landlord because as it is he was already hated. He did not want to give them another bone to pick with him.

 

Almost like second nature to him, Nick would be awake before his alarm. In fact, Nick never used an alarm unless he had an urgent event to attend. The last time he used an alarm was the day of his Police Academy Graduation Ceremony, before that was Mr. Big’s Grandmother's Breaking Bread (the one where he gave her the skunk-butt-rug). Then, when he was nine, he set his first alarm for his Junior Ranger Scouts initiation.

 

The alarm was also one of Judy's little tricks that she did when Nick ‘wasn't looking’. She said it was because he was always late for work, “probably because he was slacking off” and that he shouldn't be late for work especially when he was her partner. (Mind you clocking in hours were at 6AM in Zootopia. However ever since Judy came around, Clawhauser had actually given her a set of keys to the Police Department, and that led to the Zootopia ‘s Precinct #1 Police Department opening half an hour earlier than the rest of the world.)

 

Despite whatever Judy thought (and he’ll let her continue thinking so), Nick wasn’t the lazing around kind and he, in fact he hated wasting time. With his background of swindling to make ends meet, his life motto usually revolved around the eternal ‘Time is Money’ saying. Even before he met Judy, he was always on time and would wake up much earlier than his ‘overachiever’ bunny friend. In his hustler days, Fin and himself would be up before the Sun and they would end up in Fin’s van analyzing the morning news and reviewing trending issues on social media sites like Furbook and Tweeter, planning their hustles with a cup of coffee and a loaf of processed bread (Nick usually had to buy them, something about Fin having the brilliant idea first). Sometimes they would talk about things of grandeur, about dreams. Nick wanted to be a successful businessman. Fin wanted to be the same thing: becoming rich and living life without a worry. But those were dreams, and a distant police siren reminded themselves of their actual career.

 

Nowadays, with Judy and the Force around. He would get up before the Sun, the rest of his neighbourhood and even before the bunny. He had to take a different route to work, a detour into pathways that he only would know. He had a good reason for the detours, and that reason was because he was a Con turned Cop. It was expected that he would have a target on him and he was practically ‘prey’ in his neighbourhood! At times when the situation wasn't as bad, he would have gone to Judy's apartment just to keep an eye on her, making sure she was safe. It wasn't a safe city, he knew about _that_ all too well. Well, who was he kidding, no one was going to protect the protectors, were they? No one in the Precinct took them seriously (minus Clawhauser, he cared too much about pretty much everything that went on in the Precinct).

 

So he would follow her as he saw her leaving her apartment.

When he sees Judy successfully entering the Police Department, he would sneak into the nearby shop to get his standard: 2 coffees, one carrot bagel (it was Judy’s favourite - he often bought breakfast for her when he bought some for himself as he knew she skipped meals for the same reason he did - _money_ ) and one blueberry bagel (funny story actually, he became a _vegetarian_ because of Judy, it wasn't cheap especially since he had to put up with discrimination from the shopkeeper and the patrons who were surprised that a _fox_ would be ordering food here).

 

Following that, he would waltz towards Judy handing her the foodstuffs, greeting her with a nonchalant “Carrots”. Sometimes he would get lectured by her for wasting time with food and coming late for work. But he wouldn't tell her where he was or what he was doing, rather he would smile at her and strike up a random conversation topic.

That was his day to day. But today was a day off -

 

 _‘Oh oh oh oh oooh” -_ Gazelle again.

_“4.45AM - Wake up you dumb fox”_

The same music and message dragged him out of his thoughts.

Apparently, it was another of Judy’s alarms, this time a new one too.

 

Someone wasn't too happy with his untimeliness.

Someone he’s been longing to see. Especially today.

He should edit that alarm to not ring on a Sunday too.


	4. Chapter 3

#  Chapter 3 - Rotten Food and a rotten feud.

**_Author’s Note : WATCH OUT - Minor swearing below._ **

**_HerrMancyni_ **

 

The thought of Judy snapped him out of his trance and spurred him towards action. Judy was the only person who could do this to him, but also made him forget his depression.

A few quick taps on the screen of his smartphone, and a reply was formed.

 

“ _ Sure thing Carrots. I'll come over and pick you up at your apartments by 4PM. Those blueberries better be as good as you say, because I could book you for lying to an Officer of the Law” _

 

Moments before he clicked “ **Send** ”, it hit him.

It was barely 5 in the morning,  _ on a Sunday _ .

No one would be awake, no one should be either.

 

But then again, Judy wasn't anyone. She was the one bunny who could beat a rooster to announcing the arrival of dawn.

Nonetheless hesitation permeated his  thoughts, he didn't want to awaken her, in the sliver of hope that she would actually be sleeping (as she should be).

Then began an internal struggle of sorts, weighing between ‘she needs to sleep’, ‘I want to talk to her’ and ‘who am I kidding, she's Judy Hopps, she'd be awake reviewing some documents for work’. Eventually, Nick settled on a middle ground, he would send the text at 6AM.

 

Satisfied with his decision, Nick now had to do some cleaning and preparation. He supposed that he should begin with his morning ablutions,  _ especially _ today : brushing his teeth, combing his fur, his signature Pawaiian dress shirt, ‘matching’ tie and some pants. 

Judy was coming over, he wanted to dress to impress. To Nick, a dress shirt and tie impresses  _ anyone. _ Also, he didn't have anything other than Pawaiian dress shirts and ‘matching’ ties that he got at reject clothing sales.

 

His stomach growled in hunger, but his excitement for later stopped him from considering any form of meal. 

Distracting himself from his thoughts,  he redirected his mind towards his rundown apartment. Looking around the room for a starting point for last minute interior design, he noticed his pile of clothes (the hygiene of which was questionable) ; a coffee table littered with random news articles, magazines, an occasional empty coffee cup and an unfinished sandwich from 2 nights before. “Those things got to go”, muttered Nick to himself before getting to work.

 

The clothes were folded neatly and arranged orderly in his ancient creaky and musty closet. In said closet resided a row of practically identical Pawaiian shirts. Not that Nick was going to complain - it was at a bargain price for such quality dress shirts.

 

The coffee table was cleared, wiped  clean, the trash was thrown and the magazines piled against a wall. Beside his tower of magazines stood his other tower of newspapers. Nick rarely collected newspapers. In fact he would've thrown them away. Except these few newspapers, which had Judy’s face plastered on the headlines or any minor mention of his bunny friend in the news, and Nick made it a duty to collect it. Nick also collected the minor news section where he got Initiated into the Force. He loved to be recognised for the  _ good _ reasons and the small column brought him no little measure of happiness and pride. Like a  _ proud _ parent - something he didn't have. There was his mother who left him when he was 10. Father? Well... let's not get into that for the sake of the current good mood he was in.

 

Now that cleanliness and basic hygiene had been restored, he decided to give the house a little spring cleaning while he was at it : clearing his fridge, washing the dishes and taking out the trash; those were on the top of his to do list.

The fridge was a  _ priority. _ Last time Judy came over she complained that his fridge was going to become a criminal offence soon. Nick wasn't to blame of course, he barely made his own food. The fridge was just part of the apartment deal. In fact the fridge was one of the contributors to his rent as his utilities bill was apparently over the contractual level. Thus, Nick had to fork out more cash to pay his own electricity bill or he’d lose the roof over his head.

 

The repetitive tones of an artificial xylophone cut through his thoughts.

_ A standard Zoony ringtone. _

 

Washing his hands, Nick deftly answered his vibrating cell phone by the 2nd ring. He couldn't let it ring for the same reasons he couldn't allow his alarm to ring too - neighbours and that landlord.

 

“Nick? You haven't replied my message. It's 6AM, fox. Not like ya to not reply before the Sun’s up”, an all too familiar deep voice greeted the ears of the fox, causing it to prick up in response. He flopped on his multipurpose couch and exhaled a sigh of relief -  _ he had forgotten to tell Fin about his plan for today - _ before deciding on a response.

 

“Hey-uh-Fin, I'm sorry about not replying. I don't think I'll take up your offer to hustle. I'm having Judy over later.” The fox decided against lying to his old comrade.

 

There was an audible sigh on the other end of the phone from the Fennec.

“Nick, she hustled you twice! It ain't meaning you  _ serve _ her. Look man, ya need to feed yerself too. That rent of yours ain't gonna pay itself-”

 

“Fin, hey man, I’m a cop now. I can’t do this hustle business anymore-”

 

“That bunny, she got ya good.”

 

Silence on both ends _. _ Nick never turned down an offer from Fin. This the first time Nick actually couldn’t say “Yes.”

 

Breaking the awkward silence, “Fin, listen. I-I don’t want to you to risk yourself by associating with me.” Nick was after all  _ a cop. _

 

“You?”

 

“A cop, Fin.  _ An officer of the law. _ ” Nick pleaded. He expected Fin of all people to get the message he was implying. Nick was a con artist and hustler turned cop. No one in their world of crime would  _ ever _ accept association with such a fox : a turncoat, a snitch - a traitor. None in the world of lawfulness would do the same either : a criminal, a mockery of the law - a joke. He didn’t want to drag Fin into his conflict with the two worlds.

 

“So what? No more hustling? No more Pawpsicles? No more red wood?”

 

The question hit Nick like a truck. Again, Nick has to admit Fin was making a point.

“No-”, Nick began.

 

“Listen _fox._ I feel like _you_ can’t associate with _me._ Because good ol’ foxy joined the side of the angels? **Well** , I hope you enjoy your Ranger Scouts.” An angry tone stained the voice of the fennec.

 

_ Ranger Scouts. _

That term only brought up hurt, pain and betrayal.

Betrayal - from the Junior Ranger Scouts of the past...

Betrayal - from  _ Finnick. _

 

_ “ _ _ Duck _ you, Fin. _ ”  _ snarled Nick in reply, before swiftly hanging up and tossing his phone on the coffee table.

 

The pain resurfaced. 

That dream he tried to forget images flashed in his mind.

The heat of the argument subsiding and the cold pain of its consequences biting in.

His knees weakening, Nick fell onto the couch for support.

…

…

…

_ Don’t let them see that they get to you. _

_ Don’t let them see that they get to you. _

_ Don’t let them see- _

 

In this world, only 2 people knew Nicholas P. Wilde’s darkest secret.

Mammals he trusted with his life.

Mammals that saved his life.

Mammals who  _ were his life. _

**Mammals which accepted him.**

There were 2.

Finnick and Judy Hopps.

 

Now, Nick felt -  _ there was only one left. _

 

Lying on his couch, he decided to send the draft reply he typed for Judy.

Floatzen, blueberries and Judy sounded good.

Right now however - a reprieve was needed.


	5. Chapter 4

#  Chapter 4 - Betrayal 

**Author’s Note : There are references to Alcohol & Abuse.**

How long had it been since he hung up?

Pangs of loneliness, guilt and emotion reverberated throughout his self. His fur stood up in response and his ears drooped.

The words from Fin were quite a severe - words he never expected.

But what Nick truly feared was himself.

He cussed at his absent friend.

He hung up.

He  _ gave up. _

The idea of losing a friend was akin to losing himself.

He didn't want to lose Fin.

The thoughts of betrayal spurred memories long locked up in his heart. Mostly bad ones.

When Nick was 7, he faced betrayal from his father, who worked as a con artist to put bread on the table. His dad left his mom and himself. The man that Nick looked up to and admired.

During a period when his father’s hustles weren’t going so well, he struggled to pay the family expenses. 

Nick’s naivete towards Zootopia seemed to aggravate his old fox further. Nick wanted to join the Junior Ranger Scouts - badly. Membership was costly : they had to pay for registration and also for clothing. One day, Nick’s pleading with his father seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back (not that any camels were hurt in the process).

“NICK. Predators can't ‘be friends’ with prey. _Foxes_ can't live amongst prey. It's in our nature. Why do **you** still want to hang out with prey? They are of _lower_ status and blood. _You are a failure and disappointment to the Wildes._ **Leave** ”, were the last words he heard from his father.

It seemed afterward he got into a violent and brutal argument with his mother.

That night itself, his mother and himself were kicked out and were left to fend for themselves. Nick recalled clearly that very day, his mother clenched his paw as they walked out of their apartment. Her trembling hand. Her messy fur and crumpled clothing. Pulling Nick along with a limp in her step -  _ after that, his mother changed. _

In hindsight, he realized that his father was a wife beater, who abused his mother and he was also very much prejudiced : believing in his natural superiority as a Predator. 

Then, when Nick was 9, he faced betrayal from the few people he thought he was friends with : The Junior Ranger Scouts. The night when he finally arrived at home, his mother saw his torn clothing and was furious : fighting, hitting and screaming ensued. It was the harshest fight he ever had with her. Following that ordeal, life changed. His pocket money lessened. Mother and child talked less, and on the rare occasions they did only spiteful words were thrown at him or an unrefusable demand for Nick’s pocket money was made. The series of events culminated in forming his depression and anxiety. Nick began distancing himself in school. He started getting picked on more, being bullied and extorted. His teachers ignored his plight; to begin with they hated foxes too, and some of them even seemed to enjoy seeing his miserable state. But that was the time Nick started picking up his father’s trick of the trade. If the world was going to see him as a fox (sly, cunning and swindling) then he would simply do so. He  _ had _ to anyways. School fees, extortion fees and his mother’s demands were simply too much for him to handle with his savings and pocket money. It was then he discovered he had a talent for smooth talking. While it was difficult to at first with his anxiety striking him down, he read an article about creating a persona for yourself to become someone you  _ wanted _ to be. That persona was a dress shirt and tie. Soon, earnings grew and Nick begun to rack in the money which he kept in his home for fear of getting robbed.

When Nick was 10, his mother started drinking and sleazing around. His loving mother went beyond the point of no return. Often, he had to buy her drinks and more, alongside food and other basic supplies.

Then his mother left him when he was 12 with his 13th birthday around the corner. What Nick didn’t realise was that she took _all_ **his** savings with her too. The sudden shock caused his anxiety to trigger, stupefying him - he _never_ expected this to happen. In the first week, he stopped going to school and fed himself with whatever food was left in the fridge. When that was finished, he used the remaining money in his wallet (not much) to get some food lasting him barely a day or two. All while trying to find out where his mother went. He considered asking the police for help, but he knew his hustler business would be the death of him. End of the first week.

Come the second week, he still couldn’t function well. His wallet was empty and so was his stomach. On his birthday the fox got ‘gifts’ : he fell sick, fell down twice, and felt down. Then he got a letter from the Local Council that he was getting evicted from that apartment for unpaid rent and complaints from the neighbours. In that letter, the Council also told him to leave by today as it apparently was the 3rd letter that they'd sent. That very same day, Nick got the letter that informed him that he was no longer eligible to be a student in the local school due to repeated absenteeism and a loss of any ‘eligible guardian’. In the mail also came a note, with his mother’s writing ‘Can't be bothered with you any longer, goodbye - thanks for the cash’.

Debilitating hunger in his stomach and body weak with sickness : likely caused by malnutrition with a mind full of questions, worry and hurt. He stumbled out of the apartment.

Left with nothing and no home to return to, Nick wanted  **out.** But, he was conflicted, he wanted to cling on. Contradicting emotions and feelings of confusion. His body moved with his mind being carried away, when suddenly-

Oof! 

His body was getting shoved off its feet was what his brain concluded. 

‘Am I dead ?’ was the first thought that went through the young fox’s starved mind.


	6. Chapter 6

#  Chapter 5 - Fin

THUD. A punch to the chest. The wind was knocked out of him and the pain dragged him back to reality.

“Hey idiot! What in sheep's clothing are you doing, fox? Got a death wish?” A deep timbered voice greeted his ear.

From the voice, he was expecting a large well built animal to be greeting him. Confused that there wasn't anyone there, he looked around startled.

Then he felt a sharp tug from his collar and it brought him face to face with a being : smaller than him, with beige fur, sunglasses too big his size and a face spelling out many ways of being ‘Fed up with people belittling his size’. Behind the fennec, Nick could make out that there was a booth of sorts that seemed to peddle goods.

His mind puzzled by starvation and shock, the fox could only smile dreamily in response to the fennec’s query. For his part, the fennec was ready to sock him in the face for wasting his time. However, before he could, the sound of a car horn and a few indecent “oaths” from a driver (about ‘foxes’) made the fennec swiftly drag the ‘absent’ fox off the road.

Nevertheless he was left with an idiot fox who was staring at him with a look that seemed as if the fox had actually been hit by the car that he was saved from.

The fennec closed his small stand. It was going to be one hell of a day thought the fennec.

Hours later, they found themselves at the fennec's hideout - a van : spray painted with a legend of old.

The fox was in the , dazed and staring blankly at the van’s ceiling.

The fox’s daze seemed to have dissipated when the door to the van opened with a slam. The fennec entered the it with a drink that smelt of hot chocolate and a piece of bread in the other paw. “Eat,” commanded the deep voice of the fennec while setting the foodstuff down before the fox.

Initially shocked, the sight of food sparked a hunger in Nick reminding him of the meals that he missed. It would be apt to say that he “wolfed” down the bread with a frenzy before downing the hot chocolate in one gulp.

The bread had some cream in it that tasted like blueberries. In his hungry stupor, he fell in love with blueberries that day. 

Seeing vitality returning to the young fox, the fennec decided to begin a much needed interrogation. “Who are ya?” his voice was deep and (supposedly) the most intimidating one he had.

After a beat of silence, the fox stood up, and looking downward, straightened his tie and patted down his shirt. Extending his paw he replied in a manner so smooth it was nearly natural. “My name’s Nicholas P. Wilde. You can call me Nick.”

The fennec found himself in an inquisitive mood, “What’s the P?”

“Don’t laugh, but it’s Piberius,” was the instantaneous answer that he got from Nick. The fox exuded an aura of confidence and charisma.

The fennec got the Stark Trek reference and stifled a chuckle. “So, what’s got you trying to get hit?”

The fox genuinely looked stumped. His ears drooped. His face fell. A look of hurt flashed across his face and swiftly returned passive. But the fennec noticed it.

“Uh,” Nick stuttered, “I basically lost  _ everything _ .”

The reply was something that the fennec didn’t expect. In return, it left him stunned.

An awkward silence was beginning to grow.

Fiddling with his tie, Nick broke the silence, “Ha-ha, well my mom left me and took all  **_my_ ** money. I got evicted and kicked out of school.”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Now I can’t be bothered about your sob story - but you said :  _ your _ money?” In truth the fennec could relate to the fox’s story : his mother died at childbirth after giving birth to him, his dad raised him at arm's length - until his dad lost that arm in a fight. Then he was chased out of the house simply because too many foxes under a roof brought bad luck (superstitious old man). So, with some money thrown at him from his old man, he then went on the streets and tried to fend for himself. Clearly the fennec could relate to the fox, but he knew better than to pry.

“Yeah - my money,” the fox said confidently with a paw on his tie.

Feeling ridiculed by Nick, the fennec decided to confirm the fox's question. “Your piggy bank or your pocket money?

“Hah. Good one. I wouldn't be alive for so long if I hadn't started working. That money was my blood, sweat and tears.”

“With that tie of yours, what were you doing? Waiting tables or working in an office?” The fennec was unusually chatty today. Then again, when it came to money - the fennec needed to get a new source of finance. He would never say it, but he saved the fox simply because he had practically no customers for the entire day - enabling him to notice the fox crossing the road. 

“No way. This suit - this tie... It's a sign of a business fox,” the fox replied. The fennec half expected a business card, the other half was trying to think of a way to tell Nick that his fashion sense was disgusting. There was no business card.

Once more silence returned to the van. The fennec looked around for a conversation starter. Out of the pocket of the fox, he noticed a red cloth - so out of place with the rest of the fox’s clothing that it got him curious. “What's that?” He gestured towards the red cloth.

Confused, the fox looked towards the direction pointed by the fennec. His eyes fell upon the red neckerchief that he didn't even realise was there (he surmised that he must've taken it in his hungry stupor when he left his apartment) : his face darkened, bad memories were resurrected. 

“Well, this thingy over here was from my short time as a Junior Ranger Scout.”

“Short time?” inquired the fennec, amused at the thought of a fox joining the prey-dominated, famous neighbourhood Junior Ranger Scouts.

The fox took sometime to conjure a reply, his eyes seemed to dart around. Eventually settling for making no eye contact with the fennec, he replied with a painful crack in his voice. “I wanted to join them because I yearned for a group of friends where I was  _ accepted _ \- a pack. I longed and pleaded with my parents to get me in - my dad left after spouting anti-prey statements. I was undeterred, the thought of belonging, became an unquenchable thirst. My mother then scrounged up some money : put in my registration and got me a uniform-”

The fox briefly stopped. A sharp breath.

Resuming his anecdote, “It was the day of my initiation. I got there all excited and confident - I rehearsed my oaths and everything! When I got there, I got ambushed. They attacked and  _ muzzled _ me,” unconsciously the fox’s paw moved to touch his face, “I didn't expect it. My uniform got torn from the beating and I barely escaped by the skin of my teeth. The only piece of my uniform that still remained intact was this red neckerchief.”

The fennec had a dreadful inkling as to why the prey acted in such a manner. But his heart didn’t want to admit it. However, the fennec’s curiosity got the better of his prudence to hold his mouth shut. “Why did that happen?”

The fox smiled a bitter smile, grasping the red neckerchief. Still not making any eye contact, the fox turned his gaze upward at the ceiling of the van before replying, “It’s because of who we are I’m a red fox - you’re a fennec : and we are predators too. Apparently, that day - I learnt the  _ hard  _ way in Zootopia - I’ve learnt the hard way, that we  _ foxes _ are  _ hated _ , we are the vilest and least trustworthy species in the land. To put a cherry on top of the icing, we are also predators.  _ That night of initiation was the darkest night of my life. _ So, I decided : if they were gonna view my existence as such, I might as well fulfill the label they gave me.”

The fennec was speechless : he was impressed that the fox was so resilient - he was also surprised that the fox was able to confide something so terrible to a complete stranger. He solemnly told himself that he would never bring this issue up again -  _ ever _ . His story was appalling to the fennec, even though the fennec understood the feeling all too well.

A familiar silence returned to the van.

“Okay, my turn : who are you?” the fox striking up a conversation.

“Names’s Finnick - I'm a business fennec.” was the reply. Finnick was impressed at the fox being so intuitive.

“Well Fin, nice to meet you,” replied the fox extending his paw for a shake. “How's business?”

Returning the gesture, Fin replied honestly. He had no cause nor reason to lie. “Been bad. Wares aren't getting sold.”

The ears of the fox pricked up. A small smile formed and a query followed. “Wares, eh? What wares are they?”

“Stuff I got at a ‘bargain’ price being sold at a competitive  _ market  _ price.”

“Buy low, sell high! Oldest trick in the book. Ha-ha, what a hustle! I remember when I first started I did exactly the same thing, my business finally hit off too - I made 200 a day!” the conversation of ‘business’ seemed to heighten the fox's spirits. A pang of envy flashed through the heart of the fennec, he only made 50 a day. But Fin also saw a tinge of sadness on the fox's face. It was the second time he saw it. It pained Fin to see such a person being brought low because of others - Nick had maturity, charisma and charm in his speech - but it seemed his character was easily influenced by his emotions and situation. This time he decided to react to it. If business was something that sparked excitement in the fox then -

“So, Nick. You said you lost everything. No money, no business, no home, no loose ends. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.”

The bluntness of his deduction seemed to stab the fox, his ears drooped and his tail flopped down. It got him good, the hook was laid.  Now time for the “good intention” line and sinker.

“I’m a business fennec. My business ain't going so well, and I think it's because of my intimidating character. They say a lone fox is good luck, but a few foxes are the opposite. I haven't been raking it in - ain't seeing no luck here and I think it's high time I tried getting  _ another  _ fox. I'm a darned good driver but I need a talker. So... I might be looking for a certain  _ partner _ \- Ever heard of a ‘joint venture’ - Nick?”

With his paw extended, “I'm thinking we split a good 60/40 - I'll keep the sixty for my brilliant idea.”

The fox seemed stunned at first. Then his face lit up, ears stood up and his tail rose. He adjusted his tie again, patted down his shirt, looked into the eyes of the fennec and grabbed his paw with both of his own - smiling broadly. “With my skills and your wheels - you just made me an offer I can't refuse -  _ partner. _ ”

That day,

The fox found a home in that van. 

The fox made a  _ friend _ - a fennec who :  saved his life and gave him a reason to live - for the hustle. The fox made an oath to himself that he would protect Finnick with his own life and to never betray the fennec -  _ ever. _

The fennec found a partner.

The fennec made a silent vow to never betray Nick and never to insult the fox’s dark past.

Thus the great partnership was formed between Fennec and Fox.


	7. Chapter

#  Chapter 6 - A Silent Oath

**AUTHOR’S NOTE : Warning ! Violence. You have been warned. :D**

Not long after, Nick’s silent oath to Finnick was tested.

Finnick’s van was badly damaged after a hustle went awry, and they were struggling financially. They needed 39,000 bucks, for repairs. Another 1,000 more was needed to get them back on their feet.

Finnick suggested that they hustle Mr. Big, the biggest crime boss in Tundratown - as he heard that Mr. Big was looking for a fine woolen rug, and was willing to pay a large sum as a reward ; Fin had already prepared the rug, one made out of fur from a skunk’s butt, all they had to was to sell it to Mr.Big. Nick had vehemently advised against it and wanted to protest against the idea with every fur in his being, but Fin was desperate - his van was his life, Nick knew.

To piss off Mr. Big would be a big mistake - Nick also knew, as he had done side-business with Mr. Big when he needed the extra money.

 

However, he hated to disappoint his  _ friend _ .

It was only for Mr. Big that Nick would take cautious care to ensure that the products he sold were of proper quality ; Nick won Mr.Big’s trust - it was for that very reason he received the invitation from Mr.Big to have a cannoli dinner made by Grandmama.

 

That night, he took the rug. Lying to Fin that he would sell it to someone else, promising that he would get enough money for Fin’s van, confidently promising Fin that he would get the money for the van on that very night - it was also Finnick’s birthday that day : he really wanted to please Finnick. While Nick planned to scrounge up his savings to help Fin, it was clear that he wasn’t close to the 40,000 they needed.

 

Deciding against his better judgement, the fox decided to hustle Mr. Big - he would sell the rug to him while he was having dinner with Mr. Big and Grandmama. When Nick entered the ride Mr. Big sent him, he brought that rug - in a case. He decided to open the case, that was when he was overcome with anxiety and dread - the rug smelt  _ bad _ and it looked like a skunk’s fur when inspected closely - but, it was too late to turn back, his promise with Fin hung upon this hustle, cursing his oversight - he steeled himself. Straightening his tie and patting down his iconic Pawaiian dress shirt throughout a journey that felt like an eternity to Mr.Big’s mansion.

 

Dinner was a simple affair, spaghetti and cannoli - made with love as Mr.Big had proudly stated at the table with Nick and Grandmama, prompting a smile from her. The food was looked good and tasted as delicious as it looked, but Nick’s guts were twisting in anxiety he ate what he could muster - he had to make it convincing. After dinner, Nick decided - it was time. Placing the case on the table, he marketed the rug to Mr.Big. Boasting about its authentic wool ‘s silken and fluffy quality. His silver tongue won over Mr.Big and he sincerely prayed that Mr. Big wouldn’t open the case to inspect the rug.

 

Mr. Big gestured Koslov, his closest henchman and largest polar bear to pass the case of money to Nick. Kissing the diamond ring on Mr.Big’s hand, the deal was struck - instantly. Elation surged in Nick, he’d done it! But now, he had to get out. Taking the money, Nick declined a ride from Mr.Big’s drivers opting for a conventional taxi that he’d get from the heart of Tundratown. As soon as he walked out of sight from Mr.Big’s mansion, he hailed a cab. Nick knew it wasn’t going to be long before his transgression was going to bring about its repercussion.

 

Reaching the alley where Fin and his van resided, he paid the cabbie and walked towards Fin’s van. A knock on the backdoor and it slammed open, “What?!” demanded Fin holding a baseball bat. Noticing Nick, the fennec relaxed. Passing the case to Fin, Nick said with his sly smile “40,000 all accounted for, Fin - Happy Birthday”. The looked of surprise and joy that the fennec shown to the fox ; was worth all the things he was going to go through very soon. Before that, Nick told Fin that he was moving out, to stay in an apartment that he’d been eyeing for awhile - so he was going to take a break from work for the next few days to settle in. Assuring the fennec that he’d contact him soon, carrying his belongings from the van in a bag - the fox bid the fennec goodnight before walking away.

 

_ A message from Mr.Big flashed across his phone. _

Finally arriving at the apartment in the downtown district of the metropolis (also his present home), entering his small and dingy room - Nick lost his composure and broke into a cold sweat. Fumbling, Nick finally got the phone out of his pocket.

 

The message made the fox’s blood run cold.

Message #1 :

Sender : Mr.Big

Time : 2 AM, Today

Message :

“Nicky. Grandmama passed away. She wanted a quiet funeral, so we dug her grave and proceeded to begin the burial rites. Imagine my shock and anger when I had to bury her body with your rug. A stinky skunk’s butt rug. You insult me, taking me for a fool. You come to my home to have a meal and you make me an offer, I give you my trust - paying you on the basis of your word. This is what you do to my trust,  _ fox _ ? Grandmama said you were charming and she liked you, her last request was that I be nice to you. Now, fox I’ll fulfill her request to be nice to you so, tell me the name of your fox partner - I’ll ice him in return for your life.”

 

Taking a deep breath, paws sweaty and trembling - Nick managed to produce a reply.

“Hey Mr. Big, I’m sorry but I won’t rat out my friends. I con for a living so - you can have my life. But please do not take out your anger on others - remember what Grandmama wanted?”

Betting his life on Grandmama’s name, he hoped that it would stop Mr.Big.

 

In what seemed like forever, a reply came.

Message #2 :

Sender : Mr.Big

Time : 2.10 AM, Today

Message :

“Nicholas Wilde - you dare plead with me on the night of Grandmama’s funeral -  _ in her name! _ Your insolence knows no bounds,  _ fox. _ But you better appreciate this favor I’m making you, use her name again, set foot on my property or cross paths with me again - bless Grandmama’s soul but, I will hunt you down and I. Will. Ice. You. I will drown and freeze you, your loved ones, your friends and your vile existence. Enjoy the gift I sent to your apartment. Hope you look forward to it, I’ll send it to you for a while. You could of course consider ratting out your friend.”

 

Reminding himself of his silent promise he prepared himself. At that, there was knock on the door. “Must be the gift”, thought Nick. Wanting to escape but understanding it’s futility, he straightened his tie and opened the door with a smile.

He was greeted with the sight of a few polar bears that he knew was Mr.Big’s henchmen. 

 

Grabbed by his neck, the fox a dragged out of the apartment into a nearby alley. First came a simple question, “Who is your partner?”. “Not telling,” was the last words the fox stammered.

Then it began - the attack :  _ bludgeoning, pulverising, clobbering  _ and _ thrashing. _

Left beaten within an inch of his life : barely breathing, battered, bruised - gasping for air with a few broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, a broken arm and ankle.

A sigh of relief and blood escaped the lips of the fox. The penance imposed wasn’t too difficult he told himself. The silent promise to Fin was worth more to him than his life.

Slowly, the fox stood up and slowly limped to the hospital. Clinging to the inch of consciousness, he messaged Fin apologizing to him as he wasn’t going to work for the next few weeks. The fox passed out on the steps of the hospital.

 

After the fox got out from hospital he had at least a week of ‘safety’, Nick would join Fin in doing a few hustles. At times rushing the fennec to do a few hustles in a day - saying that the rent was unexpectedly high (which it was as it is, but Nick needed to save for his hospital bills). The fox always kept his composure with Fin, always having an answer to the fennec’s queries as to his absences.

 

Two weeks later, sometimes a month later but never  _ later _ : the same ‘gift’ would arrive, knocking at his door and the vicious cycle would repeat itself. New scars would form, but all conveniently hidden beneath the fox’s clothing.

However, each time Nick would cling onto his silent oath - not breaking, not talking. Always smiling and teasing the fennec, then disappearing for a while.

 

The cycle stopped after the time Nick and Judy were caught by Mr. Big during the Missing Mammals case. Judy had saved Fru Fru, Mr.Big’s daughter - and that saved them both from being iced. Mr. Big magnanimously pardoned Nick then too, promising the end of the ‘gifts’.

  
  


The thought of Judy brought him back to the present - in his apartment.

Frantically checking his phone, he saw the time was 1PM. He better had got a move on, thought Nick, after all he had a promise to keep with Judy.

 

Nick’s heart ached in sorrow at his ‘loss’.

 

Somewhere else, in a certain van : spray painted with a the picture of an old legend. A fennec’s heart ached too - pangs of guilt, anger and jealousy danced around in that heart. He knew he was in the wrong, but he hated the fact that the fox chose the _bunny_ and the Law over him and the hustle. The fennec knew that the stupid fox was right in trying to protect him - _again_. The fennec always knew what the fox done for him to repair his van - and the ordeal that the fox went through to keep him safe. He could read the fox like a book, after all they ~~are~~ _were_ _partners._

* * *

 

 

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE :** _

I would like to extend my limitless _gratitude and appreciation_ to :

u/7096661/ **littlemisscherrypie**

for being a great friend and beta.


	8. Chapter 7

#  Chapter 7 - Judy

Nick still felt the pain in his heart.

Nick still felt pangs of betrayal.

Nick still felt pulses of sadness and melancholy.

 

But Nick knew, he had “to conceal - don’t feel” ; quoting his favorite movie Floatzen.

Washing his face, he tightened his tie and smoothed the creases on his dress shirt.

It was 2.10PM. He was supposed to pick Judy from her apartment at 4PM. It was high time to set out.

 

Closing his door - silently, Nick made his way down the staircase of his apartment careful to avoid certain steps that are creaky. It would be a bad idea to irritate anyone in his apartment. 

Nick wanted today to be a good day. He wanted to impress Judy. It wasn't the first time he had Judy over. But every time she asked to come over still felt like the first time to Nick. The same feelings of joy and excitement bubbled in his heart.

 

Checking his wallet, he made sure he had enough money for a taxi ride from Judy’s apartment and back. He wouldn't take a taxi to her apartment - it was too costly and the price seemed to be raised because of his species as a fox. But for Judy’s safety, he would call for a taxi regardless. Revising his plan in his mind : he would walk to Judy's neighbourhood, buy two smoothies and then hail a cab from there.

 

Exiting his apartment, his eyes were greeted with rows of rundown apartments. This area was a den of thieves and scum. The air reeked of poverty, coldness and staleness with a hint of blood - a newcomer’s would feel suffocated by the tensions in the atmosphere. It was an environment where you could be attacked and no one would come or call for help.

 

But this was the place Nick lived for more than a decade of his life. He knew the place well and was already accustomed to its life. But he knew he had enemies - everywhere. He had enemies here before, but now it seemed that if he made a mistake of judgement, he'd be dead before he knew it.

 

Taking a turn into the dark alleyway separating his apartment building from the one on its right. There was a dumpster on the left and straight ahead was a wooden fence that had a gap in it's structure. Slithering through that fence, he was greeted by nearly identical structures.

He had to cross the road. In this area, a wise animal would look : left, right, left, right and left again before scrambling quickly across the road. Performing his ritual, Nick managed to cross the road by the fur on his tail, as when his feet his the opposite sidewalk. A car seemed to zoom by - if he was a second slower he would've been dead.

 

The was one hurdle left. He had to climb to the top of the emergency staircase that hung from the first floor of the apartment building. He had to do so without making too much noise or else - you know. This was something the fox practiced for a long time. Initially he mapped out the area to avoid cops or gangsters - nowadays it was mainly used to avoid the latter.

With finesse, he jumped and caught the edge of the staircase. Pulling himself up, he sneaked up the stairs to the roof of the apartments.

On the roof, the fox merely had to jump from apartment to apartment’s roof to the end - where he would get below via the emergency staircase to the main street’s sidewalk. From there it was easy.

 

Slipping into the crowds he noticed that everyone seemed to have not a care in the world as they commuted from area to area, most likely towards the inner heart of Zootopia - Savanna Central, where the commercial areas flourished. As expected there was a majority of prey and one or two predators in their midst, expectedly he received some dark and hateful glares from the pedestrians as he moved amongst them. It reminded him painfully that his life would never be like theirs. But, straightening his tie and patting down his shirt, he adopted his usual persona - a sly smile and an easygoing attitude - ignoring the unpleasant looks he was getting.

 

The walk was a straightforward one - a few turns left and right brought Nick to the spot in a back street - where he come to await Judy as she left her apartment to work. In the weekday mornings that alley was pretty deserted, however today was a sunday and it was 3PM. There was some traffic, it would’ve been slightly disconcerting for him to be seen ‘stalking’ Judy. But today, he wasn’t using the back street for that reason. He wanted to get to the cafe situated at the corner of Judy’s row of apartments.

 

Emerging at the end of the alleyway, Nick found himself right at the centre of Judy’s neighbourhood. It was a dreary and sombre district - very much like his own neighbourhood, minus of course, the villainy and crime that took root in his area. This area catered to the lower middle class and those who just moved into Zootopia, whilst his area catered to the low-rung members of society. Judy’s apartment was named the Grand Pangolin Apartments, and it was flanked by 3 other apartments on both sides. It’s place wasn’t as  _ grand _ as it sounded - his visits to Judy’s home made it clear to him. It didn’t help that there was a monthly delousing - signifying how it was severely deprived of any form of care by the landlord.

 

However, Nick wasn’t going towards Judy’s home - no, his destination was a cafe situated at the bottom of a rundown apartment at the easternmost end of Judy’s row of apartments. A quaint shop whose overpriced wares were catered for herbivores : it’s menu ranged from stale sandwiches to set meals whose ingredients were as questionable as their work ethic. However, it’s saving grace was it’s smoothies - Judy  _ loved _ them, in turn Nick learnt to love it himself after a delectable blueberry smoothie. Entering the store, he was - predictably - greeted by grimaces or glares from the patrons, of which Nick ignored. But if he had to choose a winner it would be the pig that worked at the counter - whose pudding-face warped and contorted in an attempt to show disgust at his unwanted customer. Stifling his laughter, he walked steadily towards the counter, unfazed by the reactions he was getting. The obnoxious pig - frustrated that Nick wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, spat a threat at the fox, “ _ Fox _ what are you doing in my cafe? We are a herbivore cafe - and my customers,  _ who are clearly bothered by your loathsome presence _ \- aren’t your next meal.”.

 

The words hurt, instinctively the fox moved his paw to his tie. The touch of the tie helped him maintain his persona, regaining his composure Nick replied, “Ahem - Mr.Owner, sir. I’m a paying customer - all I ask for is a carrot smoothie and another blueberry smoothie.” Flashing a some money - the  _ exact _ amount of money - before the eyes of the pig.

 

Cash is king, the eternal saying of business animals. Playing to the pig’s greed, Nick easily persuaded the pig to begin work on the two smoothies. Snatching the money from the fox’s paw with a grunt, the pig turned around and started work. ‘Keep the change’ thought the fox as he smiled. Soon, the smoothies were done and Nick swiftly exited the establishment.

 

Getting a cab itself was a challenge. Most taxis would voluntarily ignore Nick but luckily, it wasn’t long before a cab pulled up. It was a standard cab and it’s driver was a donkey - middle-aged and seemingly slow. As his countenance changed, after Nick entered the car - apparently Nick fouled his mood. After the driver was informed of his destinations. He took out his phone - 3.55PM - and called Judy as they drove up to the front door of her apartment.

 

Soon, the main door of the Grand Pangolin Apartments opened. Out stepped a purple-eyed bunny with a wide smile on her face and whose eyes were scanning the area for something. She was wearing a loose, baggy overshirt and a tank top underneath - her usual casual wear when she wasn’t on active duty. Her gaze fell upon Nick who exited the taxi, giving her a tender smile and stretched out his hand - “After you Carrots,”. Playing along, she accepted his gesture, “Why thank you Nick.”.

Nick’s breath was taken away and he felt his heart skip a beat. She was a looker - but he wasn’t that  _ kind _ of fox. For Nick, Judy’s presence was like a brilliant ray of sunshine chasing out the gloom in his life - it soothed his heart instantly and turned his bleak day around, for Judy radiated optimism and vitality wherever she went.

 

As they entered the taxi. He felt the disapproving gaze and a disgusted harumph of the donkey - but summarily ignored it. Judy passed him a bag of blueberries - reminding him that it was for Floatzen. In return, he took the carrot smoothie from the bag that came with it and passed it to Judy - he was shocked to realise that the cup’s exterior had the words ‘ _ Scum _ ’ etched into it with permanent marker - but it was too late, the cup was already within Judy’s paws. Too was high reaction, going beyond the point of no return, as Judy’s eyes caught sight of his scowl.

 

She knew something was up, she also knew that Nick wouldn’t talk about it. Tracing back, she tried to piece together the reason Nick had such a panicked look on his face. Her deductions led her to the conclusion that it was when Nick passed the drink to her. Starting from the outside, she rotated the cup checking it’s exterior - she found the cause - “ _ Scum” _ were the words written in a black permanent marker. Her ears drooped and her heart fell, she knew that the words weren’t something directed to her - she knew Nick’s character and his vocabulary, it wasn’t like him to write it. Drawing a quick inference, she hypothesized that the message was directed at her partner from the pig at the cafe where the drink came from.

 

Her eyes turned to look at her partner. He was crestfallen - the vigor he had when she met him seemed to drain out of him, his ears drooped as he sipped his drink. She reached out her paw to stroke Nick’s right paw, “It’s nothing, you know it’s nothing. These words mean nothing.  _ You are more than what  _ they _ label you to be. _ ”

 

The words and the caring touch brought a wave of warmth into the heart of the fox.

It brought back memories, as he gazed into the big purple eyes of the bunny - it reminded him of the first time they’ve met. Grasping the bunny’s paw he gazed at her lovingly - to reassure her,  he decided to playfully take a sip of her carrot smoothie, as the taxi took them towards Nick’s apartment. The traffic began to pick up - it was going to be a _long_ ride.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - A Taxi Ride

**Author's Note : Finally, I got round finishing this bit! Sadly, it hasn't been beta'd. Please enjoy nonetheless, then come back again when this note is gone! :D ~HerrMancyni**

"Hey, Carrots. Remember when we first met?" Nick decided to reminiscence with Judy. As they held each other's paw, the touch elicited beautiful nostalgic memories in the fox's heart.

"Hmmm, yeah. You tricked me to buy you a Jumbeaux Popsicle for Finnick."

"Ha-ha, so I did. You did give Fin a Junior ZPD badge," joked Nick.

The name provoked a bitter thought in Nick's mind - resurfacing emotions that he'd been suppressing for the whole day.

"That distant look for yours, it's the same as the the we were time on the gondola in the rainforest district. You thought of something sad again aren't you?" stated Judy. "Look! Your ears are drooping too! - What's wrong, Nick?" Her purple eyes - filled with warmth and sympathy boring into his own.

He was read like a book - word for word too. Nick's guise was blown - he was trying so hard to mask it too, so much so that it served to deflate Nick further. Realizing the futility of his situation - and understanding Judy's persistence and determination, Nick gave in. "I… fought with Fin this morning, over the hustling 'business'. He wanted me to join him hustling," Taking a deep breath, "I said 'No'. I reminded him that I was a cop, I couldn't hustle with him no longer - then he got mad. He remarked that I didn't want to associate myself with him - then he said some things, things that were not meant to be joked about - I got mad. I cussed and hung up." A sigh escaped the lips of her fox partner.

A genuinely remarkable trait of Judy Hopps was her large heart. She knew when to _listen,_ and listen she did - giving room for Nick to express himself.

Gathering himself, "I feel guilty. I _left_ him. When we met, I promised to never to betray him. I… He… was someone who saved my life soon after my mother left me. Besides you, he was the only other mammal who decided to stick by me… and - I _left_ him."

Nick could only painfully gaze into the floor of the taxi. Judy realized that, for a long time Nick had lived a life where he had no means of expressing his hurt or pain other than hiding behind his mask. Her heart ached for him, reaching out her arms - she took the fox by surprise.

 _He felt two arms around his neck pulling him in a embrace towards her shoulder - head to head. Her scent, though subtle, bowled him over by virtue of being_ _ **hers**_ \- _everything about it was her : the soap she used, the carrot smoothie she drank, her carrot scented breath, her clothes…_ _But more, oh so much more, it was genuine love and compassion._ _Her every breath - was calming and soothing to his ears._

Basking in the moment, Nick was brought back to a time he had long forgotten, a time where he felt safe and loved and a time where he need not conceal his feelings behind a mask. Tears threatened to fall, but the untimely jerk of the taxi broken his trance - reality slammed into his face like a brick wall.

"We've arrived, _fox_ \- it's going to be 40 bucks. Madam, I hope you do understand that that _creature_ that you've embraced is a predator and a _fox -_ whose nature is absolutely _abhorrent_ and _reprehensible,_ " spat the donkey. "You'd do well to be weary of his crocodile tears and other ploys to win you over."

Judy was noticeably furious and affronted by the driver's remarks - she knew Nick had it bad, but she never knew it was _this_ bad. Her sense of justice was kicking in, she was about to give the donkey an earful. Nick sensing the fallout soon to occur, quickly regained his composure. Chanting silently " _Never let them see that they get to you",_ straightening his tie and taking out his wallet _._ Nick coughed - hoping to ease the tensions in the taxi or at the very least redirect the attention upon himself.

"Mr. Driver, sir. Here is your money. Thank you for _such_ a pleasant ride," with a wry smile plastered on his face. "Come, Carrots. Let's go." Keeping his wallet, he saw how Judy's face seemed to protest, but he mouthed ' _Please' -_ she seemed have a debate within herself, however she decided to comply with his wish and left the taxi onto the sidewalk in front of his apartment. Nick took the smoothies and the blueberries - scooting out of the taxi with the door slamming behind him - courtesy of Judy. Almost instantly, the taxi sped off leaving only dusty air and exhaust.

Judy still seemed unhappy about the ordeal in the taxi : pouting with her arms folded glaring ferociously at the distant taxi. She seemed to be mumbling something about the donkey being an ass - not realizing the pun that she made. Nick chuckled and pat her on head. "Carrots, let's go inside. There's no point standing outside here anyways." Not disagreeing with his touch or his suggestion, the bunny meekly complied as Nick went up to open the main door. Reminding her about the _policies_ within his apartment, they pair tread upwards to Nick's home.

The corridor to Nick's home was old - the walls were mouldy and the lights weren't on, there was a door on the right of Nick's home and 2 more opposite. The only light in the area was the sunlight seeping through from the windows of the stairwell. It gave off an eerie vibe - coupled with the deathly silence in the entire building, made it all the more disconcerting.

However, they entered Nick's home without any event - it was rather gloomy due to sunlight being block out by the blinds in his home. Nick moved to turn on the lights as Judy - taking the smoothies and blueberries from him, strode towards his coffee table then begun arranging them on the seemingly vacant table.

_Flick._

_Flick._

_Flick._

To his utter disbelief, Nick's apartment didn't seem to have any power. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news - but it looks like it's gonna be no Floatzen, Carrots." stated Nick - flatly, turning towards her.

It seemed that Judy was already one step ahead, with her iPhruit C's flashlight turned on illuminating his desolate home - with the aid of the light stepped towards his window to turn up the blinds.

Instantly, the home was filled with the rays of the sun. Nick blinked to accustom himself to the light.

"Nick."

"Yo."

"What's that piece of paper under your foot, with red words scribbled on it?"

Looking below his left foot, Nick discovered the aforementioned piece of paper. Picking it up, the words read, "NO Payment, NO Power. -Jules." That name made Nick's blood run cold with fear, Jules was his landlord and a coyote - a natural enemy of foxes and one who went of his way to make Nick's life as miserable as possible. But what was more pressing was the assertion that Nick didn't _pay_ \- it confused him. Didn't he pay this month's rent and the 'electricity' bill?

"What does it say, Nick?" asked Judy - drawing Nick out of his trance.

"Hmm? Oh, I just gotta pop out and talk to my landlord." was the reply she got, as Nick took his wallet, he opened the door and adjusted his tie. "Lock the door, Carrots - Don't finish the blueberries without me."

The last thing Judy saw was that signature sly smile of his.

Later that evening, there was a knock on the door - she heard someone stumble outside. Looking through the eyehole, she saw a bloody and battered Nick lying on the floor.

The last thing Nick saw before his vision went dark - was the worried dark purple eyes of his favorite bunny.

It was going to be an eventful night thought Nick. But he was grateful to spend it with Judy.


	10. Chapter 9

#  Chapter 9 - Jules

**Author’s Note : Violence and Minor Swearing.**

Not long after, the pain in his body caused Nick to stir. The pain reminded him of the events that had happened.

…

…

…

A deep breath.

Straightening his tie, Nick mentally prepared himself to meet that coyote.

Every step he took down the stairs, he felt his heart sink deeper - and his facade cracking.

Nick dreaded the thought of what was going to happen. It was the first time he received this threat. Regardless, he knew one thing - Judy should  _ never _ find out about this. It was for her safety as Nick’s world was one that was cruel. There was no exit from this living hell, it was fight or flight and every second of a life in this place was one of paranoia. Nick knew his circumstances well, being a swindler it was to no surprise that he would be making enemies - even on his side of the law. Joined with his species as a fox - it was more than mere displeasure at his presence, it was absolute scorn. The normal society hated foxes, but for the criminal community - foxes were the worst of their lot, simply because of the long held belief that foxes were tricksters : untrustable and crooked.

 

However, when Nick became a cop - he became a hunted outcast. A fox, a con artist and now a turncoat - Nick was a walking threat for most and for the rest his mere presence was undesirable. In his apartment building itself, its inhabitants apparently decided to kick Nick out - however due to obvious legal reasons they were prevented from doing so, unless they had a good reason to. Eventually, the landlord decided to continuously increase the rent until Nick  _ had _ to leave. He couldn’t go to the courts for help, especially since he had a criminal record - and if he did, there would be a plethora of witnesses willing to testify against him there, last time he checked the jury was filled with prey - the kind who hated foxes with a passion, second to foxes they seemed to dislike predators too. Nick on the other hand, with a meagre salary, was left to his business savvy to make ends meet to pay off the rent. However even this was difficult because he couldn’t get bank loans (obvious reasons) nor could he hustle with Fin. To ask his friends for a loan, he  _ didn’t  _ have Finnick any longer and he didn’t want to trouble Judy - whose financial situation was questionable too. Who was he kidding, Judy skipped meals and lived very thriftily too. Life in the city wasn’t as glamorous as everyone thought it would be.

 

The last flight of stairs brought Nick back to reality and the matter at hand.

‘Today was one of those days again,’ thought Nick, deducing that his rent had ‘suddenly’ jumped up again.

 

As he got to the deserted lobby, he was greeted with the sight of a long corridor, which had wallpaper that was peeling and faded. At the end of said corridor, was a great oak door with the words “Jules” written on it. As he got to the door, he knocked upon it as courteously as possible - not wanting to give Jules any more reason to cause Nick trouble. Particularly today, since Judy was here with him.

Not long, the door opened. Before Nick stood a coyote - a mammal slightly taller than he, whose fur was grey, with an irritated face greeting him. The coyote had modern rectangular spectacles resting upon his narrow snout. Jules was dressed in a white dress shirt tucked in his dark brown trousers. Behind him was his large and well-furnished home, Nick could spy the latest TV and surround sound setup which boomed deafeningly loud music.

 

From a distance, Jules would come across as a standard white collar worker - his voice was a squeaky one that made him appear to be a geek. “Officer Wilde, what an honour,” mocked the coyote. Nick hated the vibe that Jules gave him, making his fur stand on end and his muscles tense.

 

“Good evening, Jules. I got your message.” replied Nick coolly.

A wide smirk appeared seemed to form from the thin lips of the coyote. “Oh, you shouldn’t have! Why would you trouble yourself with me your humble landowner, when you have dinner over,”

Seeing the glare he got from Nick as he mentioned the word ‘prey’ just amused him to no end, reaching out with his paw, he caressed Nick’s right cheek gently - “Mmmmm, you wish she was doing this to you right now in your room don’t you? Horny fox, she’s prey - you should try cooking her up” cackled the coyote, licking his lips “I have some good seasoning in my home,” his true colours showing, “ - tell you what, as a gesture of goodwill from your landlord... how about I lend you some of these things? You can even use my kitchen!”

 

The touch disgusted Nick and the things said about Judy was absolutely unforgivable. He could feel his blood boil as he clenched his fists. However, Nick held himself back - if he lost it here, he would lose his home and most likely his life ; Judy’s safety was always at the back of his mind, fearing for her safety as she was still in his home - Nick decided against acting out. Jules was a powerful character in the neighbourhood, he inherited half of the apartment blocks from his parents whose disgusting cruelty was still talked about in bars today.

 

“Oh, looks like somebody is angry - why did I say something to tick you off? Come on, tell me -  _ fox,”  _ his voice lowering into a growl. Nick remained silent. “I don’t think I gave you a choice -” The paw on Nick’s cheek grabbed at his face -  pushing him off balance and before he could react -  _ slam! _

Nick was shoved into the wall with an abnormal force, causing the some of the peeling wallpaper to fall off. The impact disoriented him and Nick staggered to get on his feet, glaring at Jules.

 

“What? You tripped on your own accord, Nicky. You can’t even keep you own balance against my gentle caress, yet you think you can be an officer of the law? HAH!” howled Jules in laughter, “Hooh - you think you can change who you are Wilde boy? You are a fox, a predator and scum - serve and protect? To co-exist with prey? To be accepted? ANSWER ME FOX.”

 

A swift punch to Nick’s gut knocked the wind out of him - causing him to fall to a knee.

Grabbed by his collar, cutting off his air supply, the coyote held Nick up with one hand - dangling him. The coyote was strong - unnaturally so, but then again to be the landlord of this  _ area _ is no walk in the park. “Listen fox, I ask questions, you answer - simple logic really. Now tell me, are you a disgusting, vile and repugnant fox?”

 

“I… I am,” stammered Nick - giving in to his punisher’s demands - as he struggled for air.

 

“Well, IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION -  _ idiot!  _ It doesn’t take a genius to know  _ shit _ when they see it,” spat Jules as he flung Nick against the wall again. This time which much more force than before - the back of Nick’s head met the hard wall with a force. Falling down, Nick’s vision was blurred and he felt himself losing consciousness - as blood began to trickle from his head. 

 

Nick wasn’t much of a fighter, he was a talker - fighting and taking hits weren’t on his list of professional skills, and even after the punishments he received from Mr. Big - Nick never grew accustomed to pain. A dull pain was starting to develop, but it was soon overpowered by a sharp and crushing stomp upon his ribcage. His eyes shut tightly to prevent tears from seeping out due to the pain. Squirming as the weight of the foot upon his abdomen increased, he felt the breath of his assailant upon his face.

 

“Nicky, listen I hate to hit ya, I really do. But listen, my friend - a donkey who drives a taxi is telling me that a  _ fox _ had tainted his car with its presence. What’s worse I hear, is that his poor door was damaged  _ badly _ as a result of an inappropriate slamming. Based on his kind description, I managed to piece together that fox being - you. Aren’t I a genius?” Stepping harder now, crushing Nick’s ribs - suffocating him, something was going to break Nick just knew it. 

 

_ Ring ring ring _ \- an alarm from Jules’s room seemed to be set off, distracting him from trampling on Nick. 

 

“Listen - I turned off your electricity was just to give you a  _ shock _ and a warning. Now, don’t you dare try to threaten my friends okay? Or they’ll be hell to pay,” hissed the coyote. “Now, I’m going to leave you here -”, Jules stopped, taking notice of the object dangling at the edge of Nick’s pants pocket. “Ah, look your wallet - I hope you have a payment for my efforts today and for poor donkey’s taxi,” remarked the coyote as he took Nick’s wallet and forked out its contents. “Just that much? Tsk, tsk, tsk fox. I think I’ll increase your rent by another 100- no -  _ 200 _ for the next few months. Next month’s rent is due in a week. I hope you make your payment soon, Nick. Goodnight.” He threw the wallet onto the beaten fox on the ground. 

 

‘Never let them see that they get to you’ was the thought that flashed in Nick’s mind. “Well Jules, after all’s said and done, can I have my power back?” rasped Nick. He knew he was asking for it, but Nick would never let Jules one-up him - and Nick’s reward was a sharp kick to his right side. A ‘crack’ was heard and Nick was left there writhing in agony.

 

At the slam of the oak door, Nick slowly tried to stand, using his arms to prop himself up. As he stood up, he realized the sharp pain in his ribcage and the sudden shortness of breath had overcome him, causing him to stagger and lean on the nearby wall for support. Gathering his breath and trying to reserve strength, Nick slowly stumbled up the stairs towards his home before blacking out.

…

…

…

As Nick stirred and gathered his senses he felt beneath his head a soft headrest that kept him propped up. One that was too  _ soft _ for it to be an object in his home. The curiosity charged him to sit up, but he was overcome with pain all over his body - resorting to sight alone, Nick attempted to look around from his position. Not gathering much and his curiosity getting the better of him, Nick forced himself to sit up while whimpering in pain. The sound of a yawn caught his ear - turning towards the sound, he discovered Judy waking from her sleep beside him. Her lap was his headrest, which answered Nick’s curiosity - it was the best rest he’d ever gotten too, agreed Nick.

  
On the coffee table, was his lukewarm smoothie (with condensation forming a pool around it) and a bowl of blueberries. Reaching out for a handful to nibble on, Nick knew he was going to face some serious questioning from his partner.

* * *

 

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE :** _

I would like to extend my limitless _gratitude and appreciation_ to :

u/7096661/ **littlemisscherrypie**

for being a great friend and consistent beta-ing.


	11. Chapter 10

# Chapter 10 - Love thaws, Judy Hopps

**Author’s Note : This chapter has not been beta’d yet. As per usual, please don’t fret too much over the errors and enjoy!**

**Author's Note 2 : Minor edits!**

The sun had begun to set outside, and Nick checked his phone to confirm the time : ‘6.35PM’.

The dull pain had not gone away, but that mouthful of blueberries helped clear his dry throat and the taste of iron in his mouth.

 

Turning himself to Judy, he opened his mouth to thank her.

Judy herself seemed to be bordering on going downstairs to arrest someone - she was furious and who could blame her. But hearing Nick’s voice seemed to soften her expression, as she looked at him - she was hurt. She hated to see someone so special and important to her getting beaten up in every sense of the word. From Nick’s room, she heard the dull thuds and shouting from the lobby - derogatory phrases were thrown about. It sickened her to the core - her sense of justice pulsing through her every vein. If she could, so help herself, she would’ve gone down there and raised hell. However, she stopped herself - Nick’s past world was something she couldn’t fathom. Nick had told her about it sparingly before, but coupled with the criminal records and histories this area had Judy could make out the hell Nick lived in - and it pained her to see him struggle so earnestly yet so desperately to get out of this hell. Nevertheless, today Judy had to know, no longer was she going to keep quiet  -

“Nick, what happened?”

 

Giving his signature sly smile towards Judy, “I tripped, Carrots.” Nick said. Immediately he received a doubtful gaze from his companion.

 

“Nick, you can tell me.” assured Judy.

The assurance from Judy was warmly welcomed, but Nick could not bring himself to speak about today. If Judy tried anything against the head coyote of Cypress Grove Lane - Nick himself couldn’t guarantee her safety, even if they were part of the force. Struggling to think of a suitable reply, as on one hand, Nick didn’t want to plainly push Judy aside with his words - but on the other, Nick had to keep her at arm's length, which pained him greatly. She was one of the few people Nick had a chance to open up to, now minus Finnick - he only had Judy.

 

But, before Nick could open his mouth to speak - the power returned with a sharp click. The low hum of his ancient fridge begun and the lights in his home flickered on - lighting up the desolate home. Checking his phone again, it was _6.45PM_. Seizing the chance to redirect the flow of the discussion, “Wanna watch Floatzen, Carrots? We shouldn’t have missed too much.”

 

“Nick. You’re my _partner_. Please tell me what happened?” pursued Judy further, completely ignoring Nick’s attempt to avoid the topic.

The ‘p’ word hit Nick like a truck, the guilt causing his chest to constrict. His emotions conflicted with his reason - and after what seemed to be like a painful internal struggle - Nick had decided.

 

“Judy. Promise me something first.” said Nick - trying to look straight into Judy’s purple eyes, but failing to do repeatedly - as the topic he was going to talk about was something that he’d been bottling up for years, and he was afraid to see Judy’s reaction. ‘What if she was disgusted? What if all he saw in her eyes was pity, not sympathy?’

 

“Anything.” assured Judy, grasping his arm with her paw - pulling Nick out of his thoughts.

 

Sighing in defeat to her kindness, “Whatever I tell you, please do not tell a soul. This is my fight - I need your word to stay out of this.”

 

“Nick, if you are in danger - you can’t expect me to just sit here!”

 

“ _Please._ ” Nick begged. “Promise me this, Carrots. I need your word.”

Judy opened her mouth to object, but seeing Nick’s serious look she agreed - nodding her head slowly.

 

“Judy, do you know how foxes are treated in this world?” asked Nick rhetorically.

“Well, we are treated as scum and lowlifes. We are vile and untrustworthy to practically everyone.” answering his question bitterly.

 

Judy seemed to want to say something to object, but was silenced as Nick continued. “Being a fox, job opportunities aren’t really existent for us. So I went down the road of crime and became a con artist - just to make ends meet.”

 

“Being a swindler in the criminal society is the lowest of the low - no one can trust you and everyone keeps you at a distance, usually from the barrel of a gun - and now, I’m a cop. In the world where I come from, that’s treated basically betraying it. Being labelled as a traitor, fox, con  and being a running risk to be an informant was the last drop that caused their hatred to overflow into outright action. Many people in my neighbourhood would love to see me dead in some sort of _accident_. My landlord is one of the many who’s being trying to evict me, due to repeated complaints from his tenants as he was one of the channels they could use to direct their hatred at me - so he’s been trying to make my life miserable in every way possible. Today was one of those days, Judy. So we got into a small argument.” said Nick, quite solemnly - taking a long and deep breath, his gaze not meeting Judy’s own. “So there you have it, Carrots. Floatzen anyone?” trying to change the topic - again. This was difficult to share with Judy, in fact it was difficult for Nick to even come to terms with it - he usually hid it at the back of his mind, pushing it aside so as to not let it get to him.

 

“Nick, have you considered moving out?” asked Judy bluntly, ignoring Nick’s attempt to deflect the conversation, again - clearly concerned and trying to help Nick.

 

This forthright trait of Judy was something that Nick admired, and the question had hit the nail on it’s head. While it was a question that has always been at the back of Nick’s mind, it was always silenced by his blatant lack of money - worse yet, it was hard to find a place that would accept a fox, worse yet one with a past.

 

“Well, I haven’t found a place that is a _homely_ as this one.” said Nick sarcastically, patting the couch-bed they sat on - prompting dust to fly up, earning him a doubtful look from Judy.

 

“Honestly, Carrots - it’s not easy to find a place that would put up with a fox, especially one with a history like mine.” Nick chose to not tell Judy that he didn’t have enough money to move out, for if Judy found out - she’d try to loan Nick some money. It wasn’t as if Nick didn’t want the help, it was that he _couldn’t -_ not from Judy.

 

“Thank you for telling me, Nick.” said Judy seemingly satisfied. “I’m happy you decided to share these things with me. If you need my help, don’t hesitate to call - we are _partners_ after all.” smiled Judy.

 

“Dumb bunny, why would I forget that?” said Nick, returning the smile with his sly smile. Turning on the television, they were greeted with Floatzen’s scene where the otter younger sister was thawed out by the love from the elder otter queen. Both Nick and Judy had a soft spot for this part, usually it was Judy’s eyes who watered at this scene - however, today it seemed that Nick was the one who found his vision becoming blurred with ‘dust’. This scene spoke volumes to Nick and today it hit a sweet spot in his heart - this day (one of many) he was saved by Judy’s love and compassion, which he was trying so desperately to push away simply to protect her from himself and his past. Promising himself to think of the best solution to put Judy at ease, they sat at the couch enjoying each other’s company without any exchange of words while the TV played in the background.

 

As Nick savored the last blueberry from the farm - compliments to Judy’s parents for that delicious taste, while Judy slurped the last of her carrot smoothie (the ‘Scum’ word seemed to be crossed off with a marker pen, not wanting to ponder about where she got the pen). The duo realized that their stomachs were hungry and their appetite seemed to awaken for some takeout - which they promptly called, received, paid and finished quickly.

 

At 10, Nick decided to call a Zuber on his Zoony smartphone (no longer was he going to hail a cab, Judy was in agreement too) to send Judy back to her apartment. Not long after, a car with a moose driver named Fred drove in - as they waved goodbye to each other, Judy got in. Judy had vehemently declined Nick following her back, saying she could take care of herself. In return, Nick vehemently declined Judy paying him for the fare (it was 30 bucks, which was paid by Nick’s card). As Judy’s ride drove a respectable distance, Nick went about his business - that was to tail the car to make sure Judy was safe. Nick only left after Judy’s went into her apartment and turned on the lights to her room. The journey seemed to take a toll on Nick’s bruised body, causing him to limp home slowly.

 

It was 11.20 when Nick arrived at the door to his apartment, Judy sent him a message informing him of her safe arrival at home after being pestered by Nick - exchanging their goodnights on Wolfsapp (an apparently popular messenger that pioneer the “Pack messaging” concept allowing multiple mammals to communicate with each other in a group).

  
Sweaty and fatigued but satisfied with his day, Nick took a quick shower - plugged in his phone to charge and fell asleep almost instantly.


	12. Chapter 12

#  Chapter 11 - First Precinct

The same dark dream.

The same church building.

The same faces of amusement and satisfaction from watching his plight - boring into his soul.

The same fear and panic overcoming him.

Nick was running down the corridor - the main door to his freedom in sight.

The voices of cackling laughter coming ever closer… Nick could feel it on his shoulders.

However, the more he ran - the further he found the door. His body aching and hurting.

Running, running, running - struggling to free himself of the muzzle that restricted his breathing and …

_ falling. _

…

Nick woke up - his paw on his face, as he confirmed that the dastardly muzzle wasn’t there. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Cold sweat was pouring down his face and his heart was racing and pounding against his chest.

In the background, ‘Oh oh oh oh oooh-’ The same alarm greeted his ears.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nick turned off the alarm and got himself to his feet.

As soon as he stood up, his legs gave way and he fell upon his couch while a dull aching pain set in.

The pain reminded him of last night’s ordeal with Jules, and the same pain also paralyzed him.

A few deep breaths later, Nick was accustomed to the pain to be able to move slightly, not wanting to aggravate any wounds or bruises. As Nick bent towards the coffee table to retrieve his phone, he felt a sharp pain in his chest which he brushed off his mind as he checked his phone for notifications.

 

His phone screen display was jarring with glaring its brightness ; _ 5AM - Monday - No Messages _ . 

His lock screen was a picture of him and Judy. Both of them had their faces clumped together, smiling brightly - Judy in her police uniform and Nick in his Pawaiian shirt and tie. It was one of the few times Nick has a genuine smile on his face. The thought of Judy spurred him to get up in spite of the pain that shot off in multiple parts of his body like an alarm. As Nick took off the sweat stained shirt that he fell asleep in, placing it into a basket that held his dirty clothes (half full) he noticed that his abdomen was wrapped in bandages - with a small ribbon tying the entire setup together. A smile appeared on Nick’s face as he thanked Judy internally.

 

Unwrapping the bandages and dumping them into the bin that was filled with the carcass of yesterday’s takeout and smoothies - Nick noticed that his fur was not as smooth and balanced as it was before - it was patchy and rough, most likely the result of repeated wounds. Some of Nick’s bones were jutting out at awkward places and there was a few scars that decorated his lithe body. Internally, Nick felt ashamed and worried of his disfigured body - but at the same time, the thought of Judy having seen it and not distancing herself from him reassured him greatly. His thoughts were wandering, as were his emotions as Nick paced aimlessly in his house - forgetting about his original aim entirely.

 

Out the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a golden badge hanging off a dark blue shirt. It was his police officer’s uniform - one which he hung up proudly like a trophy. As Nick turned to admire the uniform on the wall - his original aim has returned to mind, he had to get ready for work. Nick completed his preparations relatively quickly - even though he was injured, he seemed to naturally complete the standard actions unimpeded. Maybe it was because he was used to waking up in pain and functioning near-optimally while injured - was what Nick decided to settle with, as he buttoned his dark blue shirt. With matching pants and his shiny golden badge on his left breast (which Nick spent many a long time in a trance polishing it after work) - Nick reached out to put on his tie. Rather than using his usual striped tie - his officer dress code dictated that he use the standard black tie. Initially, Nick had felt uncomfortable about not being able to use his normal tie. However, Nick was soon won over as the tie fit in so impeccably well with his uniform - and that it gave him an identity. The identity of a police officer :  _ Trust, Integrity _ and  _ Bravery.  _ Uncanny as it seems, those 3 pillars of the ZPD were the 3 things Nick wanted to be : Nick wanted to be trusted, he wanted to have integrity - to be honest with Judy ; and he wanted most of all to be brave. Brave enough to protect Judy … and Fin, brave enough to apologize, brave enough to be able to live his life uprightly - without fear.

 

The police uniform gave Nick a new mask - one that made him feel successful and well,  _ part of a pack. _ It’s been his earnest desire to belong to a pack - where he felt  _ wanted _ and trusted, a place where he was  _ accepted. _ Yet, life at the Force wasn’t as Nick had expected. Nick knew it well - the looks he was getting, the way the air tensed when he was around and the manner in which they interacted with him. All clear indication of dislike and displeasure - it always stabbed at his heart that it was clear that Nick never belonged with the police unless he was behind bars rotting away. There was only 2 people whom he genuinely felt welcome from - Clawhauser the cheetah at reception and Judy, Nick always looked forward to seeing them - and that was what propelled him to go to work daily. Clawhauser was understanding and open-minded, seemingly unfazed in the slightest by Nick’s presence. On the other paw, Judy was well -  _ Judy _ .

 

Nick was brought out of his thoughts once more as he tightened his tie and making final checks that his necessities (wallet, phone, badge and keys) were with him. Nick left his apartment  _ quietly _ to avoid unwanted trouble - especially from Jules. Taking his usual shortcuts and side paths, Nick found himself in the alleyway facing Judy’s apartment. As predicted - Judy just departed from the main door of the Grand Pangolin Apartments. She was breath-taking as usual, her badge shone under the rays of dawn and her undying enthusiasm was nearly visible to everyone. Nick found himself staring at her intently, even forgetting the pangs of hunger in his stomach - trying to tell him that he’d forgotten breakfast. It was until she turned the corner that Nick realized she had gone out of his sight - prompting him to dash after her (but keeping a safe distance, of course).

 

The same few turns, paths and roads later, Judy was the front door of the Zootopia Police Department - as per usual, she was at the front doors at 5.30AM.

 

Satisfied that Judy was in a safe(r) area, Nick went about his ‘routine’ of purchasing breakfast. Buying the same food and coffee, receiving the same hateful glares and passing the food to the same Judy. Who gave him the same slight reprimanding look for him not being punctual - with the  _ same  _ slight look of happiness at having a meal to eat. Then, they ate in each other’s company in the same mess room - laughing at the occasional joke or at another’s clumsiness. As they finished their food - walking out to the lobby, Clawhauser had just turned up and was sitting at the reception in the lobby devouring his same bowl of Lucky Chomps. Soon after, the rest of the force started turning up… then Bogo and the same old briefing in the bullpen and division of tasks. The duo were sent out to patrol the  _ streets for traffic violations _ , they were quite successful in this aspect which earned them significant recognition for their efforts from the rest of the force - their success as Nick felt was a synergy of Judy’s hearing and Nick’s street savvy. Then began the same drill - Judy would drive and Nick would keep an eye out for trouble.

 

As the day dragged on without much of a hitch - minus the occasional reprimand given to a driver, the sun reached it’s peak. The glaring brightness from the midday sun caused a lot of discomfort to Nick’s eyes. He had tried to tell Judy about the dangers of working under the  _ blinding _ sun - Judy brushed it off as Nick finding a way to slack off, but Nick would still prod her to get her own pair of sunglasses. Today, however, the sun was much brighter than usual, after the same pitch to get sunglasses was made and the same response was received. Nick finally broke after the light’s reflection of a parked car blinding him - he would get Judy a pair of sunglasses for her birthday (which was around the corner in fact) if it was the last thing he did.

 

As Nick rushed to put on his sunglasses for fear of being blinded once more by the ‘evil’ sunlight - the sunglasses called to mind Finnick, the one who gave this pair of sunglasses to him. It was one of the 2 sunglasses Finnick had in his van. Nick worked with Finnick practically his entire life, and Nick knew that Finnick cherished the sunglasses dearly - they were Prey-Bans - expensive premium sunglasses. While Nick had always helped himself to using the one that Finnick didn’t use, Nick took good care of them like it was his own and had always envisioned getting the same one for himself when he had enough money. Then came the day Nick became a police officer, Fin had given him a pair of sunglasses - it was the one that Nick had always used when he was in Fin’s van. Nick himself never realized that Fin had been aware of Nick’s attachment for that sunglasses, and was promptly embarrassed when Fin pointed out that Nick often took out that pair of sunglasses - even before Fin had put on his own.

 

As the sunglasses shaded the glaring rays of light from Nick’s eyes - Nick returned to focusing on his role of spotting traffic violations (and playing music). After a quick lunch break of sandwiches - they found themselves driving through the same street in Downtown where Nick used to melt Jumbo Pops (alternative popsicles are available) on the roof as Fin would collect the solution into glass jars below. Feelings of nostalgia resurfaced in Nick’s heart and along with it came bitterness and regret. Judy noticed Nick’s expression was quite crestfallen as they drove down the street.

 

After they complete their rounds, they would usually end up at the ZPD to complete their reports and they’d clock out at 7.30PM - they were not paid for overtime (as it was voluntary). In ordinary situations, most of the staff would clock out at 6 - but Judy wasn’t  _ ordinary _ , she was extraordinary as she was able to get so engrossed in her work that she’d forget the time. Nick usually left her to her things until 7 where he would come over to Judy’s cubicle and bug her to go home - if he hadn’t, Nick could’ve swore Judy would sit at that desk pulling all-nighters and  _ skipping meals _ .

 

After dragging Judy to clock out they’d usually go to their regular haunts to have dinner until 9 when Nick would walk Judy back home before returning home himself. After his shower, Nick would surf the news on his phone or watch ZNN’s Moosebridge talk for an hour or so before sleeping.

 

This was Nick’s day to day - the same mornings, the same assignments and the same feelings as they went through the street where Nick and Fin used to melt popsicles. While they seemed to be rather dreary - Nick seemed to go through every day without much of a hassle.

 

_ Until _ the new month started.

Nick’s salary wasn’t enough to even pay for his rent and to make matters worse, his savings were running dry as he had stopped hustling and he had often splurged to treat Judy (not that it made him feel bad - her satisfied face was worth it). To aggravate his already bleak financial situation, Nick had ordered a limited edition Gazelle x Preyda pair of sunglasses - for Judy’s birthday.

 

Nick needed the money, but he wanted to please Judy. He had to make a some tough changes and decisions …

\- things weren’t the same after that.


	13. Chapter 12

#  Chapter 12 - Old habits die hard

The month started without much fanfare - luckily. Nick paid his rent with his salary and from his savings. Fortunately for Nick, he wasn’t given much trouble from Jules. As money was beginning to get scarce - Nick decided to skip meals. But to keep up the facade in front of Judy Nick still bought her food. When questioned about the absence of his meal Nick brushed it off as having had his meal before he met her. Once in awhile, Nick still bought himself a snack - especially on the more active days.

 

This plan managed to hold firm as the first week went by. As the next week came, so did the Preyda sunglasses’ delivery on Nick’s day off - that’s when disaster had struck. Nick’s wallet and savings were drained dry but he still needed another thousand bucks - it seemed Nick’s attempt to get them to accept payment in installments didn’t fly, and his bank didn’t permit Nick to get a loan. Panic was setting in, as the delivery mammal threatened for Nick to return the sunglasses - and that was when Jules (conveniently) walked by.

 

“Hello, gentlemammals. I see you are troubling my tenant. What’s wrong?” staring slyly as Nick while a false smile was plastered on his face. “Oh? Could it be that - he can’t afford it? Well - I’d hate to business efficacy around my area! Let me pay for him ~” Jules said - voice filled with amusement.

 

By the time Nick processed Jules’ strategy, the coyote had already forked out the one thousand bucks to the delivery mammals. As the delivery mammals turned away to leave, Jules turned to face Nick with a sinister smirk forming on his face, “Preyda Nick? Never knew you had a thing for ‘em,” said Jules as he reached out his paw to touch the sunglasses’ package. Nick instinctively moved it behind his back as if the touch would have tainted the gift - mustering up his will to stare into his landlord’s face while standing his ground.

 

Nick’s act seemed to irritate him. Taking a step towards Nick, the coyote’s foul breath encasing Nick, “Hmmm. I paid a thousand bucks for your little gift, and you don’t even have the heart to let me  _ touch _ it? Tsk tsk tsk, Nicky - your rudeness hurt me … and I  _ don’t _ like getting hurt.”

 

Nick’s will was breaking as fear and anxiety was seeping into his soul, stammering “I-I will pay you back, Jules. I promise I will.”

 

“That’s music to my ears. I’m overjoyed that at the very least a rude ‘officer’ knows how to honor a favor done. But sadly, I’m not planning to fall for your  _ fox _ tricks - worse yet you’ve hurt my feelings.” hissed the landlord sarcastically. “Ho ho ho. How about this, Nicky - you have until the end of the next week to pay up my thousand and five hundred bucks. If you can’t pay … let’s just say - you wouldn’t want to know the result. Are we  _ clear, _ fox?” his demeanor changing completely - filled with intimidating seriousness with a voice cold and dark gnawing into Nick’s soul, striking fear and panic.

 

Nick could only manage a nod.

“Wonderful. I’ll leave it at that then,” said Jules, departing. “OH! Nicky I almost forgot - I’ll be increasing your rent again because you’ve hurt my feelings. I’ll send you the bill soon. Bye-bye.”

 

As the implications of the conversation set in, Nick felt his heart sink.

He had less than 2 weeks to pay up his debt to Jules - worse yet, he had to a higher rent to settle.

Nick tried to assess his options, but found it to be nil. He had to break open his secret stash which had only 100 bucks left for him to keep up the act around Judy. The bank wouldn’t help him and neither could Judy - for the same reasons why Nick skipped meals.

 

The next few days at work, Nick just couldn’t focus as his thoughts were plagued with the thought of not being able to pay Jules back. Judy was beginning to get worried with his attitude too - Nick wasn’t the kind to actually slack off on work, as much as he looked lackadaisical about the job. One day, as they were on traffic patrol through Downtown by the Lemmings Brothers’ Bank - while Nick was drowned in deep thought - Judy noticed a familiar van with a painting of an old legend. After some thought, Judy managed to remember the owner of the van - it was Finnick’s. While they haven’t been in touch, as the relationship between Judy and Fin was akin to having a mutual friend - it was usually Nick who’d talk about Finnick. Nowadays, Nick had been quite silent on the topic - Judy knew Nick had a fallout with Finnick, but it’s been a  _ long _ time since. Deciding to bring up the topic of Finnick as a means to break the silence in the car, “Hey, Nick? You awake?”

 

Judy’s voice interrupted his brooding, startling him momentarily. Quickly gathering himself - “Yeah, of course I’m awake, Carrots.”

 

“How has your relationship with Fin been ?” said Judy testing the waters.

 

The talk about Finnick completely caught Nick off-guard, Nick hadn’t much time to ponder about those areas principally because of Jules. Suddenly, many things rushed to mind - repressed emotions at the top of the list. “I… haven’t talked to him since that day.” replied Nick - after taking a considerable amount of time to form his reply.

 

“Well, why don’t ya? You haven’t talked about him at all, and you always  _ did _ . I wonder what sort of hustle he’s been up to? You’ve been working with him for a long time - tell me about some of the other hustles you guys do when not selling Pawpsicles.”

 

The topic of ‘hustling’ was a pleasant memory overpowering the melancholy of the fallout. “We had a lot of other hustles : there were times we’d -”. Nick stopped talking abruptly.

 

Confused with the unexpected silence, Judy was worried that she had brought up a sensitive topic - “Nick, you okay?” asked Judy meekly - while she wanted to look at Nick, she had to pay attention to the road as they were still driving.

 

“Yeah… I’m fine…” said Nick absent-mindedly to Judy. In his mind, Nick seemed to have stumbled upon treasure - ‘Of course! Hustling! I could do hustle again - on the side! My permits and receipt of declared commerce hasn’t expired yet. Let me see 200 bucks a day - for the next few days… YES! Oh goodness yes, that’s enough to pay off Jules.’ thought Nick. 

 

Relief washed over him, as vitality returned to his voice. “Carrots. Thank you. Seriously. Are you okay for takeout dinner? I can’t join ya tonight - got something I have to do. We’ll collect our meal then I’ll walk ya home.”

 

“What? Uh - okay, sure thing Nick.” was the reply from a confused Judy. “You sure you’re okay, Nick?”

 

“Oh, yes. Certainly - never been better.” said the fox enthusiastically - with a sly smile forming on his face.

 

That very night after sending Judy home, Nick dug around his house for some extra cash. Luck was on his side, as he managed to scrounge up 30 bucks - just enough to begin the good ol’ Pawpsicle hustle. Rushing out of his house to get the sticks for the popsicles and jars to keep them in - he managed to get them a 5 bucks total. When he reached home, he prepared a small sign from a piece of unused cardboard - with the words : ‘Pawpsicles - Organic - Z2’. He had debated with himself to charge a higher price of 3 bucks, but settled for 2 in the end. Making a few calls to his contacts in Little Rodentia he found a guy willing to accept red - wood.

 

Charting out his plan, Nick was going to visit Jumbeaux Jr. for that good ol’ Jumbo Pop then -

Nick’s thoughts stopped - there was something nagging at the back of his mind, there was a subtle but noticed guilt haunting him - but his enthusiasm and drive brushed it aside. Nick eventually settled on the standard plan : He would leave early during their lunch break, get the Jumbo Pop, melt it, freeze it in Tundratown and then sell it outside Lemmings Brothers’ Bank. Afterwards, he’ll deliver the sticks to his guy down in Little Rodentia. The plan was sound and satisfied with his brilliant idea, Nick packed his civilian clothes into a bag - before dozing off on the couch.

 

Then came the next day - everything seemed to play in Nick’s favor. Bogo had changed assignments with Nick’s morning with Judy in charge of paperwork, then at night they were assigned with patrolling Savanna Central, this left a good amount of ‘free’ time in between. Everything was going smoothly - Nick finished his part of the paperwork quickly and Judy - well was Judy, having finished her work, she was already double-checking hers as she offered to do the same for Nick’s. 

 

With _extra_ free time on their hands, they decided to have an early lunch. After receiving the greenlight from dispatch (Clawhauser), they went to the cafeteria to eat. Nick excused himself early during lunch with Judy, he told her he was going out to run some errands - telling the same to Clawhauser, but he asked Clawhauser to contact him if anything came up. After leaving the ZPD, Nick changed into his civilian clothes but kept his radio with him to keep in touch with the ZPD.

 

Executing the plan without a vehicle was quite difficult, but Nick was resourceful enough to circumvent his need for a vehicle. Eventually, Nick found an abandoned cart - which he masterfully repurposed. The trip to Tundratown and back took longer than usual - primarily due to the lack of a vehicle to transport his goods - so, he took the train with the little bit of money he had left. Arriving at Tundratown, Nick’s knowledge of the landscape helped him shorten the trip on foot.

 

Everything was going smoothly - except the unusual comments from the customers about another fox who’d came in earlier to buy a Jumbo Pop, but Nick brushed it off and focused on his job. Time was of the essence here, as he had to back at the ZPD after - no one could predict a call for duty.

 

Performing the hustle was second nature to him - it was a matter of going through the motions. Nick found himself outside the Lemmings’ Brothers Bank - dragging his cart full of Pawpsicles to a nice spot by the side of the bank. Nick had his eyes fixated on the clock so as to estimate the window of time he had left to return to the ZPD. Nick was mapping out the quickest route he could take to return to the ZPD when -

 

_ THUD! _

His cart hit something - and Nick himself had been hit off his feet too.

 

“Hey! What’s the matter with ya?”

“Hey! What’s the matter with ya?”

 

Two voices said in unison. One was Nick’s own - the other was a familiar and deep growl but the sudden shock hindered Nick from 

 

Nick saw his cart - and another cart beside his. Both of them filled with Pawpsicles - one with Nick’s paw design and the other was with a design of a smaller paw. He couldn’t see who was behind the cart that hit him.

 

But he knew the voice instantly when he heard his name being called -

  
“Nick?”


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Re-con-ciliation

#  Chapter 13 - Re-con-ciliation

“ _ Finnick?!” _ exclaimed Nick, as he looked over the other cart to find a fennec - whose size was half the cart. “What are you doing around here?” Words just flowed out of Nick’s mouth before he could consider them. His heart was a mix of excitement at meeting his friend - and a painful nagging of hurt and betrayal with a topping of shyness and fear of being pushed away. So many things were running through his mind too - ‘How have you been’s and ‘Long time no see’s were the top of the conversational topics.

 

“I should be asking  _ you _ . What are  _ you _ doing here? What happened to Judy and the police?” stated Finnick blankly.

 

Nick felt the plainess in Fin’s voice, ‘Was he still mad at me?’ wondered Nick. That thought itself cut Nick like a knife - doubt and pain rampaging throughout his body.

 

“They are doing fine. I - uh - took up a side job,” replied Nick.

 

“Right - and that side job is  _ hustling _ ?” scoffed Fin. “Last I checked you couldn’t hustle because you were a - ‘officer of the law’.”

 

“Actually - I couldn’t hustle  _ with you. _ Now hear me out Fin,  _ please. _ I-I-I have enemies -  _ more _ than ever now. Being part of the ZPD hasn’t helped my situation, you know what happens to our kind when we try to escape our fate… as con-artists, as - as - a  _ fox _ .” There was pain in his voice - Nick himself hated to admit the hopelessness of his situation. “Look Fin, I’m a swindler turned cop. We are criminals - you are in the  _ database _ , imagine what they’d do if they found me associating with you… you could get jailed! It’s not an easy life, with enemies everywhere you go - I … don’t want to see you hurt because of me.”

 

Those words. Finnick knew those were the words Nick was silently telling him over the phone on that day. He dreaded hearing them - he knew Nick, he knew Nick was the type to worry for his friends … going to the point of becoming overprotective.

 

But… it was those words that pissed Fin off. That time and this time.

But… this time, Fin wouldn’t make that mistake, the mistake of trampling over Nick. He knew Nick, I mean who wouldn’t after working and living with the same mammal for years. He knew that Nick had him and Judy as friends. He  _ knew _ \- yet he mocked Nick for it - pushing him away from himself. The thought of making the same mistake pained Fin - who stayed up late many nights, wondering how to approach the person he’d hurt.

 

Sighing to release his pent up tension - Finnick climbed up his cart with finesse to stare into Nick’s eyes. “Nicholas  _ Piberius _ Wilde… Thank you - But - am  _ I _ so weak that I’d need you to look after me? After all, I was the one who saved your life.”

 

“I-it’s not such a simple matter, Finnick! There are so many people who’d love to see me dead. How can I live in peace knowing that your life might be threatened because of…  _ me? _ ” said Nick defensively.

 

Fin moved forward - causing some of his Pawpsicles to fall off - as he grabbed Nick’s collar pulling him forcefully downward, forcing Nick to look at him in his face. “Hey! Do I look like some pushover weakling to you, Nick?”

 

“No…” muttered Nick - his gaze darting wildly trying to avoid looking at Fin in the eyes.

 

“Then - DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME,  _ idiot.”  _ Fin’s voiced boomed.

To make his point, Fin decided to slap Nick. It was a  _ hearty _ slap - causing Nick to tumble into some of his Pawpsicles, displacing some of them. 

“If you think our relationship is something so easily severed because of some ‘potential’ harm - then you certainly haven’t been doing your job as a -  _ partner.  _ What happened to your brains and my brawn?” declared the tiny fennec on top of a cart of Pawpsicles towards the fox below him as he offered a paw to him.

 

It was as if sense was knocked back into him. Nick stood up - with a smile forming on his face, “Abusive aren’t we,  _ partner _ .” - grasping Fin’s outstretched paw to pull himself on his feet. Nick was relieved to see that there was no one witnessing their ‘incident’ at the sidewalk, dealing with the ZPD right now would be … awkward. 

 

“So, are you going to tell me why you started hustling or-” 

 

Fin’s words were cut off by the sudden bell from the clock. It was lunchtime - and out came the lemmings. 

“I guess it’s time to hustle,  _ Fin _ .”

Taking charge, Nick gave out orders as he motioned to throw the fallen Pawpsicles in the trashcan - as Finnick positioned  _ both _ their carts to sell.

 

At first, no one took the bait - but as soon as one began left the line to move towards their stall - the ones behind him followed suit like clockwork, the Pawpsicles were sold and out came Finnick dragging behind him the trash cans filled with the sticks.

 

Instinctively, Nick went to help Fin push the trash cans into his van. Once the carts were safely on board, Nick moved to get into the van. Fin started the car and they were off, there was an air of suffocating awkwardness - probably due to the invisible walls that had formed over their period of silence. 

“So, where does your half of the lumber go?” asked Fin.

“Good old Tom in Little Rodentia,” replied Nick.

 

“What a coincidence, I got old Tom too.”

The atmosphere in the van was still tinged with tension. The tension dissipated at the red light, as Nick took out a case.

 

“What’s in the case?” asked Fin.

Seizing the chance to strike conversation, “It’s sunglasses - the ones you gave me. Haven’t got the chance to properly thank you for em’, Fin - but  _ thanks. _ ”

 

Fin shrugged. “Still hate the glaring sun eh?” as he took out his own pair of sunglasses. “It does bring out your cop image.”

 

“You’re making me blush,” teased Nick - chuckling.

 

“Shut up.” Stepping on the gas - the old van took off with a ‘bang’ from the exhaust as the light turned green. “So, you still haven’t told me - why are  _ you _ hustling again?”

 

Nick’s mirth disappeared - and he fell silent. “Well, I owe  _ that _ coyote money.”

 

Fin slammed the brakes (luckily there was no one following behind his van)  then he masterfully slid into an alleyway. Nick recognized the alleyway, it was the spot they’d stop to unload the lumber. But, he couldn’t comprehend the need for the sudden breaking - “Why the sudden break slamming, Fin?”

 

Fin turned to him slowly with an incredulous look on his face - with a voice colored with red anger, “WHAT? You - NICHOLAS WILDE…  _ owe _ Jules? Your natural enemy? How did you fall so low - you never fall so low to let him one up you!”

 

“I… uh… bought something, and couldn’t pay for it. Jules came… and well the rest - you can guess.”

 

“What did you buy? How did you even become short of cash, Nick?”

 

“I - ha ha- bought a pair of sunglasses … for Judy.”

 

“A pair of sunglasses cost you  _ that  _ much?! Why are you even getting sunglasses - it’s obvious that you aren’t using them.”

 

“They were a limited edition of Preyda sunglasses… for Judy’s birthday.”

 

“Idiot fox! You’re spending your entire fortune for a  _ bunny. _ You buy food for her - you pay for her rides … and  _ now _ you buy her expensive sunglasses!” boomed Fin. This was the last straw, he had to do something before that fox decides to sell an organ for the bunny.

 

“But-” interjected Nick.

 

“No BUTS.” Hesighed. “Nick, you need to learn some moderation.” said Fin - deadpanned. “You love her, it’s obvious - and you want to see her happy… but you fool - do you think she’ll be happy if you’re suffering? - Heck, did you even consider how she’d feel if she found you  _ hustling _ again?” stated Fin, driving the nail into the coffin.

 

Fin never hated Judy to begin with - yes, he was jealous that Nick chose to spend time with her. But he respected Judy - she was determined and smart, capable of even outsmarting Nick multiple times. Nick talked about her to him a lot and Fin knew that the fox was completely smitten with her, and he wanted to see Nick happy. It was clear as day that Judy didn’t like their hustling business - even if it was ‘legal’.

 

The last line hit Nick - he had forgotten about that completely. That was the gnawing guilt he felt. That was what Nick had overlooked in his plans - Judy. But Nick had come to terms with his situation - he needed the cash -  _ bad.  _ Judy was going to be furious if she found out - but she wasn’t going to  _ know _ .

 

“She won’t find out, Fin. I’m only hustling to pay Jules off - no more. Just for the next 2 weeks, and I’ll be free from my debt to him.” said Nick - confident in his solution.

 

“Right - and your rent won’t get any higher.” rebutted Fin.

 

_ BEEP! _ Fin and Nick’s phone rung - it was Tom. He was at the drop-off point to collect the wood.

 

They moved to the back of the van to collect the lumber.

 

“I’ll think of something.” said Nick.

 

“You better.” said Fin. He begun to arrange the sticks into stacks, while Nick tied them up into bundles.

 

They completed their sale quickly, paid as promised for the delivery. Tom gave them a weird look - surprised that his 2 clients came at the same time to deliver the goods, but was fine with it nonetheless.

 

A job well done. Nick was happy to have some money in his pocket. He was making progress towards paying back the 1.5K he owed Jules. Checking his phone, Nick didn’t realize how much time had passed since he left the ZPD - it was 1.30PM, he had left the ZPD at 11AM - it had been 3 hours and more. “Hey, Fin - could ya give me a ride to Savanna Central?”

 

Fin back was turned to him. No reply came.

“Uh, Fin? Hello?”

 

A grunt was the reply as Fin turned around. Fin looked Nick in the eyes - holding the cash in both paws. Fin held out out his right paw filled with cash towards Nick.

 

Nick gave him a questioning look - confused.

 

“Idiot. Take the cash. We’ve always split 60/40. For now - you take the 60. You’ll need it more,” mumbled Fin.

 

“What?”

 

Shoving the cash into Nick - “Look - Take the money. Ok?” said Fin forcefully. “You can make it up to me another time.” As he turned to enter his van. “Savanna Central right?”

 

Nick felt emotional - but quickly placed the money into his wallet to straighten his tie - returning to his usual facade : a sly smile and relaxed gaze. “Geez Fin, thanks … a lot.”

 

As Fin moved into the driver's seat, he muttered something under his breath that Nick could not make out clearly but he got the message instantly - ‘I'm sorry for last time.’

 

Patting his fennec partner on the head, Nick sniggered, ‘Who could stay angry at such a baby face?’

 

The punch that he got received and the blaring French rap music that hasn't been played for ages said it all…

 

**All was fine again.**

 

So, the two friends sat in each other's company : putting their sunglasses as they enjoyed the music (although it was only Finnick who actually enjoyed the  music - but let's pretend that the  _ both  _ of them were enjoying the music).

 

The van that they sat in drove off with a  _ ‘bang _ !’

 

**Yup, all was fine… but how long would it last?**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Finite Fine-ness

**Author's Note : This chapter has only been partially beta-d! Please bear with the mistakes while enjoying the story ! :)**

They stopped at an alleyway a few blocks off the ZPD. Nick clambered to the back of the van to change into his officer's attire. Placing his civilian clothes into the bag, Nick attached the radio to his waist, zipping the bag. Anxiety began to creep into Nick's heart. Who was he kidding? He was gone for a considerable amount of time - Nick expected to be burdened with questions and looks from the other officers. But, what tugged at Nick's heartstrings the most was lying to Judy - he couldn't tell her he was hustling again. Fingers crossed, she wouldn't pry.

He checked his phone for the time - it was 1.45PM, since he was already out, he might as well be fashionably late. Deciding that he'd best leave - as the later shift would start at 5.

"Hey Fin. Thanks." Opening the back door of the van to leave, Nick was stopped as Fin called his name.

The voice deep voice called after him - " _Officer_ Wilde, don't forget your sunglasses." As the fennec threw the case towards Nick. "Don't bother bringing your sunglasses next time - I'll get you another pair for the van. Keep those for your work, Nick. Those glasses suit your police clothes more than that drabby dress shirt of yours."

Nick caught the case. "Hah! These are a nostalgic design! Catch you later, Fin. I owe ya."

"From what universe or era?" shouted Fin as Nick exited the van - closing the doors as he did.

Well, Nick's choice of fashion was nostalgic. It was similar to the wallpaper of his childhood home - ever so slightly, there were good memories that came from there. Reassured that his fashion sense still made sense to himself - Nick walked to a nearby donut shop to get a 2 dozen donuts. One for Clawhauser to pacify him, and the other to shared with Judy - without a doubt, there was a carrot cream donut and a blueberry-icing donut in the package for Nick and Judy.

2PM, Nick waltzed casually into the ZPD. To Nick's slight shock, no one seemed to bother that Nick had went out for a long time, however the glares were still there to welcome him back. Moving towards the receptionist's desk - where a plump cheetah sat smiling at his phone (probably watching Gazelle's video - oh look, he was right as the cheetah giggled in his seat).

Looking up his phone - "Where have you been, Nick?" came a cheery voice - presumably from watching Gazelle. "It has been some time since you've went out." His eyes were fixated with boxes that Nick held in his arm.

"Hey Clawhauser, I'm back - anything I miss? The radio had been silent." said Nick redirecting the question.

"Oh- umm, nothing really. So where-"

Cutting Clawhauser off once more, Nick plopped the box in front of the cheetah - and opened it. Immediately the waft of chocolate donuts with sprinkles filled the air. Clawhauser seemed to melt before its aroma as his words dissolved into mumbles. "W...w….what are these?"

"They are - for you. The next few days I got some things to settle - so I'll be going out. Think of this as a token of my gratitude for keeping an eye out," said Nick slyly - pushing the open box of donuts towards the cheetah.

"Oh… uwah… Thanks." muttered Clawhauser - who was hypnotised by the donuts, mouth bordering on drooling.

Nick knew when he had won over Clawhauser _this time._ He knew that the cheetah was a smart one - even though on the outside, he seemed to be gullible and innocent, it was the cheetah's emotional intelligence that made him the ZPD's 'frontline' as he knew exactly what to say to lighten the air and exactly how to act to disarm a tense mammal. This ability of his made Benjamin Clawhauser an efficient and invaluable asset to the ZPD, plus he was someone who was close to Chief Bogo due to them having a mutual interest - Gazelle. Nick had to get Clawhauser on his side if the his 'hustling' was going to fly. Thankfully, donuts was a viable option to silence and gain a favor from the Cheetah.

As Nick left Clawhauser to the mercy of the donuts, Nick went to find Judy at her cubicle. There would be no other place that Judy Hopps would be - especially if she was assigned to it, even if she hated being put on the backburner. Judy Hopps was the type of mammal to see through her job till the end - such was the ZPD's first bunny officer's determination.

It came as no surprise for Nick to find his bunny partner sitting in her cubicle typing away on the keyboard. What baffled Nick the most was how Judy managed to keep herself occupied with work for such a long time. Upon closer inspection Nick noticed that her shoulders sunk and her ears perked up in response to the sound of the plastic bag filled with donuts in Nick's hand.

"Hey Carrots. I'm back," said Nick. "I got some donuts."

"Welcome back," replied Judy as she turned her seat to face Nick, smiling at him. However, Nick noticed the fatigue in her eyes beneath her smile. What she needed was a good warm drink, food and a massage - and that was when Nick swore to himself to drag Judy away from her cubicle.

"Let's go, Carrots," making up his mind to pamper Judy.

"Go, where?" asked his partner, dazed from all the work she'd been doing.

"Out. Come on - let's get you to the mess room. I'll make you a cup of coffee and I'll even throw in a free Wilde massage," said Nick - proffering his paw to Judy.

"Now _that…"_ a genuine grin growing on her face _,_ "sounds like an offer I can't refuse," She accepted Nick's paw to pull herself up.

They then walked to the mess hall without a care in mind as they talked about anything and everything. As promised, Nick performed as he promised - making Judy a warm coffee and giving her a good massage.

At 5, the duo was dispatched to begin their patrol of Savanna Central. Nightlife was a hectic as it was during the day - that meant they had to exercise more effort in looking out for crime. The day was already mentally taxing, especially for Judy. On the bright side, there was a lot of spots for them to get takeout while they were on duty. That night, they had some sandwiches and coffee ; Nick then took over driving duty, while Judy was on lookout (though she seemed to doze off around 1100). It was a peaceful night without anyone causing a ruckus, making patrolling an easy task.

Their shift ended as the clock struck 12 after which Nick drove them to the ZPD to return the vehicle. By then, Judy was asleep - Nick wanted to wake her up and chide her for overworking herself, but lost his will as he saw Judy curled up with a peaceful countenance as her soft snores were the only sounds in the deserted compound.

Nick had to carry her back to her apartment, taking his shortcuts to avoid unwanted attention being directed at Judy. Even in the dead of night, Nick Wilde was concerned for negative rumors arising about the bunny cop. Finally after a few turns and detours, Nick arrived at the doorstep of the Grand Pangolin Apartments - Judy had shown no signs of stirring. Eventually, he decided to 'deliver' her to her room. Nick himself was drowning from exhaustion at this point - wanting so badly for his pullout couch that's musty self seemed to be akin to a fluffy cloud - as he clambered up the stairs to Judy's apartment. Unlocking her room door with the spare key she gave to him, Nick wanted to set her down upon her bed. However, Nick had one more duty to do - he had to wake Judy Hopps up. Her face was relaxed and appeared to be genuinely comfortable to be in Nick's arms - neither Nick nor Judy, as he believed, wanted it to end for waking her up from such a comfortable rest felt like high treason. So, Nick attempted to place Judy down on the bed slowly as to not wake her suddenly and risk her falling from his arms - sleeping Judy wasn't going to make it easy on him - as he tried to sit her on the steps, she clung to his shirt. The unconscious gesture struck something in Nick, it just occurred to Nick that Judy might have missed being in the arms of her parents. Compared to Nick - who was an only fox, Judy was one out of 276 brothers and sisters - she might not have had as much comfort or attention given to her when she grew up either.

This was one of the times Nick Wilde was proud of his _predatory_ night vision as he navigated Judy's small apartment (this was one of the few times he went into her apartment) to her bedside.

'I'm a dumb fox, aren't I?' Nick asked himself - as he cradled his sleeping partner in his arms as he sat upon the bed.

An hour or so later - Judy stirred as she finally felt the discomfort of sleeping in that posture.

As she begun to stir, Nick gently moved her to lie on her bed - pulling a blanket over her - allowing her to smoothly transition into proper rest. As it is, Nick knew Judy would beat herself up over falling asleep on duty when she sobered up. Nick slid out of her room whispering a silent goodnight as he left.

Nick finally reached home at 2.00AM. He promptly fell dead asleep on what felt like a fluffy cloud that smelt of dust and moss - but who cared about that?

The next day, Judy whispered a silent thank you to Nick as both of them entered work with eyebags under their eyes - but the mirth and banter they shared was no less than any other day at the ZPD.

The following few days went by just as well - by the books.

The ZPD had no change of assignments and neither was there any cases that they could take on (Judy seemed to be on the verge of losing it). Paperwork was light - enabling Nick to get his job done swiftly - giving himself even _more_ time to hustle with Fin. The debt he owed Jules had already been dented by half with Nick's own earnings - with the 'help' he got from Fin, he only had 300 bucks left to pay Jules. Even better, his off day had finally arrived, on a Friday too - coupled it with a weekend - giving Nick a total of 3 days' to hustle freely without having work commitments. He maximized this to his benefit (by mostly performing odd jobs such as : selling cheap suits at a high price, deliveries, selling oddities and so on). Nick worked from dawn to midnight - travelling from place to place to complete hustles all over Zootopia. Within the next 3 days, he had managed to earn so much that he was able to pay Jules back (the full payment with interest was made in full to a half-frustrated and half-surprised landlord - whom Nick believed to be scheming about what he was going to do to Nick if he failed to pay) - and even meet half of of the amount he needed to pay for his ever-increasing rent.

Nick felt great, to finally be able to be 'free' from the grasp of his landlord.

Things were finally looking up : he no longer had to worry about not being able to pay Jules ; he got his chance to spend (much needed) time with Fin too - best of all, Judy's birthday was 2 days from now. Nick was going to make it a memorable one for her.

The new week had begun and Nick's psyche was the best as it could've been. He hadn't had one of _those_ bad dreams plaguing his mind - he guessed that it was because he was too tired after all the work to even dream.

The second day, new assignments came from Bogo who was ever so unpredictable - as these meetings in the bullpen were called arbitrarily. As Bogo entered the bullpen - greeted with a salute from the officers, he went to the podium.

"I have 2 items on the docket today. Firstly, Officer Hopps - happy birthday."

The chief had the habit of announcing the birthday mammal in the bullpen - but apparently the birthday mammal's reception was somewhat lacking, the room was silent - that silence was broken by Nick himself who'd begun clapping the loudest. Slowy, but surely the room slowly picked up the momentum of clapping, although Nick noticed that the applause was blatantly different from the applause they gave to the other officers.

Nick turned to look at Judy, who appeared the most stupefied at the announcement - as she sat there with a blank expression. Nick grasped the gift he prepared for her in his pocket, choosing to give it to her at another time as right now wouldn't be the best place to flaunt such an _expensive_ gift. As the meagre applause died down, he nudged her to pull her out of her trance to wish her a happy birthday.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Judy and Nick were assigned to day traffic patrol - Downtown and Savanna Central - again, it seemed that the chief still didn't want to rely on them. There was already one patrol at Savanna Central and Downtown - it irritated Nick to see Judy getting looked down upon by the chief . However, Judy herself was over the moon excited as she was finally free from the boredom of office paperwork. Nick decided to text Fin to inform him the time he expects to be available for their hustles. With food and drinks packed into the car the duo went about their duties, giving out warnings and tickets to traffic violators. It was a lengthy patrol as it cut through 2 prime districts of the city - Judy made the most out of it, paying full attention as she drove for signs of criminal activity - squinting more and more as the sun rose to it's peak.

The area was clear and had low traffic (it was 2 roads off the main street, was what Nick had surmised) - from Nick's experience, this area had nil crime. It had well developed infrastructure with parking lots clearly drawn and there was no cause for traffic violations to occur. The time was right, plus Clawhauser had just given them the greenlight to take a break.

Digging into his pocket - he pulled out a small wrapped box with a ribbon on top. Motioning Judy to park the car in an empty slot. As she put the gear into 'Park' - the gift was shoved into her hands from her partner. It was a orange box - rectangular with a carrot motif on it, the ribbon was green - on top of the box was a card 'Happy Birthday, Carrots'.

"What's this, Nick?" asked Judy - as she stared at the package in her hands.

"It's called a birthday present, Carrots." looking at her amusedly in anticipation of her reaction when she'd see the sunglasses.

"It's… it's for me?" asked Judy meekly as she looked slowly into Nick's eyes.

"Pfft- what? Yeah! Of course it's for _you_. It's your birthday after all." Nick look away - to avoid eye contact with Judy - if he looked into her eyes then, his already red fur would've been much redder. Nick settled to distract himself as he took out the specially ordered carrot cake (from a well-known pastry shop) he placed at the back of the squad car, as the box was opened - as sweet and delicious aroma of carrots engulfed the car. Nick took out the complimentary candles from the side of the cake and begun arranging them into a nice circle around the words written in icing - 'Happy Birthday, Judy'.

He only turned to look at Judy when he heard something akin to sniffling. To his surprise, the bunny begun to tear up.

"Carrots! What's wrong?" frantic - as his eyes darted around, desperate to find the cause of her sudden tears.

"I-it's just that… No one had decided to celebrate my birthday… like this." muttered Judy as she wiped her tears.

Nick gave her a questioning look, "What do you mean like this? We could go into restaurant to have your cake if the car is too difficult."

"NO! It's not that… it's just that no one has decided to celebrate me for my birthday. You-you see… for us bunnies, we have a _big_ family - thing is… if we decided to celebrate everyone's birthday like this - we'd run out of money and time. I have 275 siblings alone - not counting me, my parent's and their relatives."

"So… how do you bunnies celebrate birthdays?"

"We have a... birth-month celebration. At the end of the month, we'd gather round a nice big cake and blow it out together." said Judy - embarrassed.

Noticing her embarrassment, "Then, let's make today - a first. Happy Birthday, Carrots." as he begun to light the candles.

Then came a cheesy 'Happy Birthday' song, a blowing out of candles and the cutting of the carrot cake. They settled on taking a small slice per person, after Nick told her to go home and savor it at her own leisure - they sat in the car eating the cake. Judy seemed to have a field trip eating her slice - seeing such a satisfied face, Nick gave most of his cake too. The cake was good, it was fluffy and moist - a masterpiece (of cake).

At Nick's request, Judy began unwrapping the gift. It took her sometime - apparently, Judy reasoned that the wrapping paper could be recycled for another time.

Eventually, with the wrapping paper taken off _cleanly_ \- the sunglasses' case was revealed. Upon the velvety red case was the words in gleaming gold - "Preyda x Gazelle ; Limited Edition Eyewear". Beside the words, was a signature that read 'Gazelle'.

That wasn't all - as Judy slowly opened the case, there was a pair of golden framed sunglasses and a folded note. At Nick's direction, the dumbfounded Judy unfolded the note. It was addressed to her by Gazelle herself!

* * *

From : Gazelle

To : Ms. Judy Hopps

Happy Birthday, Officer Hopps. Have a blast!

Signed,

Gazelle.

* * *

Nick knew Judy had a soft spot for Gazelle. She always played it on the radio from her playlist. Good news was that Judy wasn't too overboard about Gazelle unlike Clawhauser or the Chief. Gazelle was an inspiration to Judy because Gazelle too struggled a lot to reach where she was today, being met with a lot of criticism and discrimination for her activism and performing style. Judy talked about Gazelle once, as the one of her songs came on the radio. Gazelle had lost a lot of fans and supporters when she decided to perform with tigers at her concerts - being ridiculed by mostly prey fans for putting herself in danger and scaring the audience (as if the suddenly performing tigers would jump off stage and maim a fan - it's not the stone age people), but Gazelle was determined and didn't back down despite the threats and rumors - after a while, the aggressors died down - and the tigers became a staple for Gazelle's concerts.

Nick felt proud of himself. Finally, he managed to do something for Judy. "You no longer have any excuse not to wear sunglasses at work, Carrots!" stated the fox triumphantly.

But, when he turned to see Judy - her face seemed to be desynchronised with the situation. It was supposed to be a celebratory mood - but the her face was serious and dark, the air seemed to become heavy. Slowly, Judy turned to face Nick.

"Nick… how did you afford these things?"


End file.
